SUNDERLAND — Construction of 33 affordable senior apartments at 120 North Main St. could start in the spring of 2020, according to the community development director of the nonprofit interested in building there.
Glen Ohlund of Rural Development Inc. said the nonprofit hopes to get a comprehensive permit from the Sunderland Zoning Board of Appeals by January so it can apply to the state for low-income housing tax credits, so the nonprofit can solicit investors for the project. Ohlund said the tax credits will likely cover 70 percent of the project’s funding, with the remainder coming from a lender he declined to disclose. A comprehensive permit is one that encompasses all approvals from relevant boards and departments in town and is intended by the state to be something of a one-stop process to expedite projects that will boost the amount of affordable housing in a community.
The issue of affordable housing in Sunderland has been a bone of contention in the past, as larger low-income projects were opposed by some residents and town officials only to find that the expedited comprehensive permit process was required because the state considered Sunderland to have too little affordable housing.
Sunderland Selectboard Chairman Tom Fydenkevez said he hasn’t “done the math on it” but the RDI development and the impending construction of the 150-apartment Sugarbush Meadows on Plumtree Road would likely be enough to satisfy, or come close to satisfying, the state’s desire for 10 percent of housing in town to be considered affordable for senior citizens. The Recorder previously reported the state defines “affordable housing” defines as housing that does not cost more than 30-percent of a homeowner or renter’s gross monthly income, as based on regional averages.
Ohlund said the 33 apartments will be geared toward people 62 and older making 60 percent or less of the area median income.
The proposed three-story building is expected to consist of a two wings on 2.8 acres. Ohlund said the parcel is owned by the town of Sunderland, but would come under RDI’s ownership, if the project happens. But RDI must first get the comprehensive permit to apply for the tax credits.
The proposed development includes 40 parking spaces along a single roadway shaded by trees. Ohlund said the property would be well-landscaped. He said the Henry F. Sanderson House, the unoccupied white house built at 120 North Main St. in roughly 1843, will be rehabilitated and will house three of the 33 apartments. Ohlund said the town wants the appearance of North Main Street, which is part of the Sunderland Center Historic District, to remain as intact as possible.
RDI was created by the Franklin County Regional Housing and Redevelopment Authority in 1991. According to its website, it is based in Turners Falls and works with it s partners to expand housing and economic opportunities for residents and communities in rural Franklin County and the North Quabbin region.
Ohlund also said the nonprofit developer’s designs must be sensitive to surrounding wetlands to avoid violating the state’s Wetlands Protection Act.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413 -772-0261, ext. 262.