Letter: Revised Noquochoke housing plan worthy of support

Posted 1/17/16

To the editor:

The Westport Affordable Housing Trust Fund would like to publicly express its support for the special permit application submitted by The Community Builders, Inc. to the Planning Board for the proposed Noquochoke Village …

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Letter: Revised Noquochoke housing plan worthy of support

Posted

To the editor:

The Westport Affordable Housing Trust Fund would like to publicly express its support for the special permit application submitted by The Community Builders, Inc. to the Planning Board for the proposed Noquochoke Village housing development. The non-profit company has been working with the town, the community, and the trust for the past four years to plan for the construction of 50 units of new, mixed-income family housing in Westport on town-owned land off American Legion Highway.

The proposed apartment units will be affordable for individuals and families across a wide range of income levels, and will address the state's longstanding priorities for creating permanent affordable housing opportunities in every community in the Commonwealth.

The need for such affordable housing opportunities in Westport has been demonstrated in the town's Housing Production Plan, approved by the state Department of Housing and Community Development, which lists the specific strategies planned to address the town's housing needs. The construction of 50 new affordable housing units at Noquochoke Village is one of those key strategies.

Last spring, the Board of Selectmen voted to extend the closing date with The Community Builders beyond December 2014. In May, Town Meeting voted to support the trust's request for Community Preservation Act housing funds to maximize the greatest possible mix of income levels among future residents of the apartment village. The Community Builders has conducted environmental testing and dug soil test pits at Noquochoke Village needed to prepare the septic system design plans for the apartment village.

The Westport Affordable Housing Trust Fund has thoroughly reviewed The Community Builders' recent application for a special permit for this development, which has been prepared in compliance with the company's response to the town's original Request for Proposals and the purchase and sale agreement, signed by the Board of Selectmen in 2013.

Design revisions have included more one-level, one bedroom apartment units suitable for residency by residents with disabilities, as opposed to the multi-level townhouses originally proposed. The six buildings and community center planned will be clustered on the eight-acre front portion of the site, known as the Perry Farm, with about 22 acres near the Noquochoke River known as the Quinn Property to remain undeveloped for passive recreation.

A Feb. 9 public hearing has been scheduled by the Planning Board to review the updated plans submitted by The Community Builders in order to help Westport create a new, much-needed affordable housing option for its residents.

For more information on the project, contact Westport Housing Specialist Leonardi Aray by calling (617) 270-3912, or e-mail to Leonardi@larayarchitects.com.

Leonardi Aray

Westport housing specialist

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