Housing Trust Agrees To Buy Last Buckley Parcel

CHATHAM – The town’s affordable housing trust board agreed last week to purchase a quarter-acre parcel along Main Street adjacent to land where officials plan to develop affordable housing. The two parcels will be combined to maximize the potential for housing development.

The land at 1533 Main St. was originally part of the Buckley property, where the planning process for development of affordable housing has been underway for several months. When the family offered to sell to the town, the deal included the entire 2.75-acre parcel. The family later asked to retain a 20,000-square-foot lot containing a 1940s era house.

Town meeting appropriated $1,375,000 for the 2.49 acres, and the deal closed last November.

In April, a representative of the Buckley estate offered to sell the remaining 20,000-square-foot parcel to the town. Last Thursday the trust voted unanimously to approve $715,000 for the purchase. The parcel is assessed at $403,200 by the assessing department, and was recently on the market for $749,000.

The lot will be incorporated into the ongoing housing planning process, said housing and sustainability director Gloria McPherson. Design work had been halted pending the purchase, she said. The addition of the quarter-acre will “add synergistically” to the property and increase flexibility for the housing layout, she added. It will also add a second curb cut on Route 28 allowing a loop drive, providing a more efficient traffic flow and possibly more units and open space.

Select board members recently said they’d like to see between 25 and 40 units of housing developed on the parcel.

Because of the funding sources, there will likely be a mix of types of housing on the property. Half of the original $1.3 million came from free cash and half from the affordable housing trust fund; the $750,000 for the 1533 parcel also comes from the housing trust fund. Land purchased with money from the trust can only be used for affordable housing restricted to those who earn up to 80 percent of the area median income. Free cash has no such restrictions, so a portion of the land can be used for so-called workforce or attainable housing for those with higher incomes.

To preclude state bidding laws, the trust board also approved a determination that lays out the case for the uniqueness of the purchase due to the town’s owning the adjacent property and its plans to combine both parcels. The uniqueness determination will be published in the Central Register this week, said Town Counsel Patrick Costello.

The prospective closing date for the sale is Jan. 19, Costello said. The sale is subject to a hazardous material inspection; there is reportedly an oil heating system and tank on the property that must be inspected and tested. That’s expected to happen in early December, and the inspection will be done by the firm that previously inspected the adjacent property, Costello said.

The family must also remove everything from the property and provide a clear title. Costello said he foresaw no problems.

“I believe we’re in good shape,” he told members of the trust board.

No decision has been made regarding the house, McPherson said. Because it is more than 75 years old, any demolition or major changes are subject to review by the historical commission. It is possible the house could be demolished to facilitate site planning; if so, the historical commission could impose a demolition delay.

The next step in development of the property is seeking proposals from developers that might be interested in working with the town on the project, said McPherson. That is expected to happen in January or February, she said.

“We obviously want to have the entire parcel available for the developer to understand the possibilities,” she said.