New Habitat For Humanity Project Approved For East Brewster

BREWSTER – Around 13 acres of land located in East Brewster will become a successful example of merging two town-wide priorities: conservation and housing.

Last June, the Brewster Conservation Trust (BCT) purchased a two-parcel property previously owned by Washington Chase, a local Brewster resident who died in 2008 at the age of 95. He ran a cranberry bog and a 20-tent campsite on the property for over 50 years. 

According to a 2023 BCT newsletter, after the passing of Chase, his wife Mick and their daughter, Mackie, the property was left to Chase’s son-in-law David Dalgran. He agreed to sell the property for $700,000, well below appraised value, for conservation purposes. 

BCT purchased a conservation restriction for 12.36 acres which encompasses Chase’s cranberry bog and around seven acres of woodlands. The second parcel contains 1.58 acres and an existing house, which the BCT plans to use for staff housing.

On Oct. 28, Habitat for Humanity purchased 0.65 acres of the second parcel at 3571 Main St. to build two affordable homes abutting the conservation area. Habitat for Humanity is calling the project Mackie Drive in honor of Chase’s late daughter, said Beth Wade, the outgoing director of land acquisition and project development for Habitat for Humanity. 

At the project presentation to the select board, member Mary Chaffee said, “We need to congratulate the BCT for their creative thinking so that they can both preserve and protect part of the property and create housing opportunity.”

The select board unanimously voted in support of the project’s local initiative program (LIP) application to the state. The LIP is a state-run program that allows the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to provide technical assistance to housing projects that qualifies as a subsidy.

The select board also approved $100,000 in acquisition funding from the Brewster Affordable Housing Trust, which will be paid to the BCT.

 The homes will sit on two separate lots located behind the existing dwelling. A lottery system will be used to fill the two-bedroom, one-bath and three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath homes. It will also determine eligibility. Income qualifications will range from 60 percent of area median income to 80 percent area median income, with the houses priced between $174,000 and $261,000, said Wade.

Some initial work, like clearing of foliage and improving the existing driveway, will prepare the plots for the infrastructure work. 

Habitat for Humanity has also been working with Resilient Roots, a company that promotes native habitat, to create a food forest with up to 70 percent native plants. In addition, the homes will include solar panels, an energy efficient way to combat utility prices. 

With the completion of the LIP application, the next step will be applying for permits, receiving zoning board approval and applying for $100,000 in community preservation funds for construction, which is subject to a town meeting vote. 

An estimated timeline for the project has infrastructure work starting in the fall, with the final wall raising in June 2026.