Trust Seeks Input On Future Marceline Property Development

 HARWICH – As they begin to deliberate on the 456 Queen Anne Rd. 40B affordable housing project proposed by developer Pennrose, appeals board members also wants to know what the future is for the land adjacent to the 5.42-acre parcel designated for 60-rental housing units.
That 6.7 acres was also part of the former Marceline farm yard property and is under the control of the affordable housing trust. It was not included in the Pennrose project being reviewed by the appeals board. Its future development is something that the appeals board wants to consider in weighing the Pennrose project.
The affordable housing trust on Monday began discussing the future use of the land, although there was a sentiment that the discussion was too early. Member Robert Spencer suggested the trust should first see how the Pennrose project fleshes out before considering plans for the adjacent land. 
  Member Claudia Williams said the trust should reach out to the public to see if homeownership, rentals or even conservation would be the preferred use for the property. She suggested putting out a survey, which Chair Larry Ballantine supported.
 Trust member Brendan Lowney said the town has a number of rental units in the works including projects in West Harwich, the former fire station on Bank Street, the Pennrose project and Pine Oaks Village IV, a total of about 350 rental units.
“It would be nice to have homeownership,” Lowney said. He has crafted a five-acre subdivision showing five single-family houses which could be done as a matter of right under zoning, he said. The houses could be modest, 1,300 square feet or so, as they would be starter homes, he said. At $450 a square foot, with a $227,000 buy down from the trust, mortgages could be for $350,000, a price range suitable for families in the 80 to 100 percent of area median income. The houses would be deed restricted and issued by lottery, he said.
Another option would be to place five duplexes on the lots with a total of 10 units, or a multifamily project for 10 units. 
Ballantine called such detailed planning a second step, emphasizing the need to hear from the general public first.   
Trust member Jeffrey Handler said he agrees with Lowney and praised the information he assembled. Handler said the trust needs to determine the direction in which it is going with the land.   
Lowney said the land is available to do another Pennrose-type project. It was also suggested there is an additional 2.2 acres under the select board’s control designated for affordable housing. There was discussion about requesting the select board to place that land under the trust’s jurisdiction.
 Art Bodin, who said he was a housing advocate, encouraged the board to move forward with the discussions, suggesting if the trust made a decision today, it would be three or four years before a shovel was in the ground.
 Bodin said there have been discussions about the 456 Queen Anne Rd. project and the Pine Oaks Village IV project generating too many rental units, and people want to see homeownership opportunities. Bodin recommended a Habitat for Humanity project.
“I think it would be a good fit beside the [Pennrose] property,” Bodin said. “Habitat is a good neighbor. It’s a turnkey operation. You give them the land and they do the rest.”
 Habitat doesn’t look at big parcels of land but typically builds four to eight homes on a couple of acres, he said.
 Matt Sutphin said he supported that thought process.
 “The ship needs to turn around a bit,” Sutphin said of the need to establish more homes for ownership. 
 Ballantine said the trust would have to put out a request for proposals for development of the property.
 Trust members agreed they need to gather opinions from the general public on how to move forward with future development on the parcel.
 “We’ll make this a running discussion,” Ballantine said.