ZBA BEGINS HEARINGS FOR COMPREHENSIVE PERMIT FOR SUPPORTIVE HOUSING PROJECT AT 132 NORTHAMPTON ROAD

REPORT ON THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS MEETING OF 6/25/20

The meeting was conducted via Zoom webcast, and aired live by Amherst Media on Ch.17. A recording is here. 

Participating 
Members of the ZBA Steve Judge (Chair), O. Joan O’Meara, Tammy Parks, Keith Langsdale, Dillon Maxfield. Associate Members Craig Meadows and Peter Berek.. Staff: Rob Morra (Zoning Enforcement Officer), Christine Brestrup (Planning Director), Nate Malloy (Senior Planner), Maureen Pollock (Planner) and John Witten, JD (representing KPLaw for the Town) 

This was the first of what will be several sessions for the project at 132 Northampton Road, where Valley Community Development Corporation (CDC) is proposing to demolish a single family rental house, to construct 28 units of affordable housing on a site that is 0.88 acres. The project will need  a Comprehensive Permit per Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40B for the development of affordable housing. The Comprehensive Permit allows all local permitting to take place with the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA)

The project on Northampton Road is in response to the local need for small affordable rental units for extremely-low-income and low-income individuals.  The Master Plan (2010) and Housing Production Plan (2013) identify the severe lack of this type of housing, and recommend the creation of these units. The project would be one building that includes 28 small studio (about 230 sq. ft.) apartments for single-person occupancy, as well as a multi-purpose common room, a laundry room, and office space for a resident services coordinator.  The project  includes the provision of support services for tenants.   The goal of  the Commonwealth is for each town to have 10 percent affordable units, but most have  less,  so the state statute Ch. 40B generally makes it easier for applicants to get ZBA approval for affordable housing projects. Amherst has 12.59 percent affordable units and is therefore in a position called “safe harbor,” whereby the applicant cannot appeal a negative ZBA decision.

The project comprises a 12,000 sq. ft. three-story building with Victorian-style design  and character, and living space on all three floors. Eight units are reserved for low-income people earning less than $29,900 (50 percent of the Area Median Income)(AMI) for a proposed rent of $740/month including heat, air conditioning, electricity, and hot water. Another eight are reserved for moderate-income people earning less than $47,850 (80 percent AMI) for a proposed rent of $795, and 12 with project-based subsidies earning no more than $17,950. Homeless people will get a preference for 10 of these units, and two would be designated for clients of the Department of Mental Health at a proposed rent of $737,but  residents would  pay no more than 30 percent of their income. The cost of the building is projected to be $7,500,000 or $265,000/unit toward which Town Meeting  had appropriated $750,000.

Compared to the 100 or more waivers from the Zoning Bylaw granted to the North Square development on Cowls Road in North Amherst, Valley CDC is only requesting four waivers from Section 3.323: to allow the site location, to allow 28 units  instead of the limit of 24, , to allow all units to be the same size; the bylaw restriction is no more than half of units can be the same size (because under Section 12.25 all the units are affordable), and to waiver the otherwise-required review by the Design Review Board. The ZBA will also have to approve two accessory uses, to allow use of two offices in the main building. The offices are for building management and support services.

Most of the questions from the Board concerned a proposed 8-foot fence requested by a neighbor, that would replace mature hemlock trees at the eastern property line. The Board also received assurances from Valley CDC that part-time support services with 24-hour/7-day telephone availability is adequate, based on its 30 years’ experience managing similar projects in Hampshire County..