60-Unit Pennrose Project Could Be Approved Next Week

 HARWICH - In a nearly four-hour session June 11, the zoning board approved a number of waivers and conditions for the 60 units of affordable housing on 5.4 acres at 456 Queen Anne Rd. being developed by Pennrose.

 The board is scheduled to review a draft approval document to be prepared by town counsel Amy Kwesell of K P Law on June 25. The board could vote to approve the 40B comprehensive permit request at that time. Should there be any outstanding issues between the developer and the board, the decision could be delayed. The board is facing a deadline of July 7 to close the hearing, and will then have 40 days to render its decision.

 “It doesn’t seem like there are a lot of issues left,” said Board of Appeals Chair Brian Sullivan at the end of last Thursday’s session. 

 Board member Kenneth Dickson sought details about the number of units that will remain perpetually affordable. Kwesell said state regulations require 25 percent of the units to remain affordable in perpetuity, and the other 45 units would remain affordable for 50 years. All of the units will be on the sustainable housing inventory, she said.

 “I thought this was all in perpetuity,” Dickson said.

He said the board just finished the permit for the Pine Oaks Village IV project, and 195 of the 242 units will remain affordable in perpetuity.

Pennrose Vice President Karmen Cheung said if all units were to remain affordable in perpetuity, it would be extremely difficult for her company to get the financial backing to do the project. She also said there would not be enough money to do repairs in future years.

Board member John August said Pine Oaks owned its land while Pennrose does not own the land, which makes it more difficult for them to obtain financing. He said 50 years doesn’t seem unreasonable. 

Kwesell said 80 percent of the funding for the project will come from tax credits or subsidies from the state, which has a 50-year perpetuity requirement. 

 “I haven’t made up my mind. I’m holding my position on this,” Dickson said.

There was also discussion about the status of using a paper road, Bassett’s Lane, which runs just outside the 13-acre former Marceline property where the affordable housing project is proposed, as a second access to Route 124. A meeting between town officials and the Massachusetts Department of Transportation was set for last week to discuss a curb cut, but it was cancelled. A new meeting was scheduled for this week. 

Safety issues at the development access and egress have been raised, and the use of Bassett’s Lane has been seen as a means of reducing traffic flow on Queen Anne Road. One of the conditions approved by the board was the implementation of a traffic signal timing adjustment at the intersection of Queen Anne Road and Route 124 to reduce traffic queuing on Queen Anne Road. 

The board approved a number of waivers from local requirements and regulations, including allowing for the multi-family development in a rural residential zone; the placement of an additional 20 parking spaces to be located on affordable housing trust land to the rear of the proposed development; waivers from building height and sideline setbacks; and a waiver in health code regulations.

 During public comment, neighbor Thomas Stapleton raised the issue of density, requesting that the affordable housing trust set aside as open space a little more than four acres adjacent to the development and expanded parking area. He said some of the initial plans for the development have been removed to address appeals board goals. Some of those elements could be put back into the Pennrose project. It would reduce the impact on the area and could create a play area for children, a recreation area, or a place to garden and increase resident safety. 

 “It’s not a substantial change, nor would it make this project uneconomical,” Stapleton said. 

 Jim Pina, who abuts the proposed project along the east side, had questions about tree removal, and was concerned about a proposed swale to be placed between the buildings and his property. He was worried that the swale could be placed along his property line, disrupting trees along his property line. The board requested that Pennrose show Pina a plan of where the swale would be located and what impact there would be on the trees.