WESTBOROUGH – As negotiations for the special permit/site plan application for 18 and 30 Lyman continue, a proposal to provide an affordable housing subsidy is close to being finalized.
A working group authorized by the Westborough Affordable Housing Trust is negotiating with the developer, Colangelo Massachusetts Real Estate LLC, for the subsidy.
The town’s zoning requires 20% of the 132 units to be affordable (certified by the State Housing Inventory, at 80% of Area Median Income). At this percentage, there would be 27 affordable units.
Should the subsidy be approved, the AHT would provide $750,000, or $125,000 per unit for six units. That would bring the total to 33 affordable units, or 25%.
This increase would allow all 132 units to be counted toward the town’s affordable housing inventory, according to Edward Behn, chair of the Affordable Housing Trust.
“This is a significant achievement for both the town and the developers, as the agreement provides 33 units of much-needed affordable housing, making a real difference in our community,” he said.
Behn added that the developers have accepted this offer.
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“The only further work is to address a few issues that our attorneys will work out,” he said.
The subsidy comes with several conditions.
Preference for the affordable units would be given to residents of town with one or more persons working for the town, or a business in town; households with a member on active duty in the U.S. military or a veteran.
Should the development, in full or in part, convert from rental units to ownership units, the rental units will convert to ownership affordable housing units at the 80% AMI level in perpetuity. Additionally, the affordable units will be explicitly barred from any subletting, sublease or similar arrangement; and the units are prohibited from being used as short-term rentals.
The conditions also call for the project to receive its initial Certificate of Occupancy within three years of issuance of the Special Permit; and its EOHLC certification of the 33 designated units as affordable rental units at or below the 80% AMI, in perpetuity.
It also calls for the developer to be willing to enter into an agreement with the Trust, or other similar entity, that will assist in maintaining a waiting list of households that meet the local preference criteria, as needed. The developer will agrees to adhere to any laws, regulations, policies, or conditions of the Planning Board and EOHLC relevant to the production, marketing, leasing and management of the designated affordable housing units.
The developer will also agree to sign a form of agreement reflecting the subsidy, terms, conditions, and stipulations herein.
According to Behn, “The subsidy will be paid upon the development receiving a certificate of occupancy for the two parts of the development.”
About the project at Westborough Shopping Center
The Colangelo family, which has owned the Westborough Shopping Center for nearly 50 years, wants to convert three buildings into a mix of retail and housing.
The buildings that once housed HomeGoods will be demolished, and a new building constructed. The first floor will feature two retail spaces. The second, third and fourth floors will house 37 units each. Housing will be a mix of studio (10 units), one-bedroom (17 units) and two-bedroom (17 units), for a total of 111 units.
There will also be underground parking and an interior courtyard.
At the “J&N” building, near Stop & Shop, the second-floor office space will be converted into a total of 21 units — six studio, 11 one-bedroom and four two-bedroom.
The Zoning Board of Appeals has granted a special permit, since the site is on a nonconforming lot with less than the required open space. The applicant has also filed a Notice of Intent with the Conservation Commission.
The Planning Board has continued its public hearing on this project to Tuesday, July 16.