Studio G’s Managing Principal Gail Sullivan, along with Vita Shklovsky, Senior Project Manager at Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), and Jay Coburn, CEO of Community Development Partnership, appeared on Lower Cape TV in October to talk about Juniper Hill, the proposed affordable housing project at 95 Lawrence Road in Wellfleet, MA.
They discussed the project, permitting, and next steps. Lower Cape TV reported that the Wellfleet Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) has approved the comprehensive permit under MGL 40B for 46 units of housing to be constructed across the road from Wellfleet Elementary School.
MGL 40B is Massachusetts’ Affordable Housing Law, enacted in 1969 with the goal of making at least 10 percent of every community’s housing affordable. The law allows developers to build affordable housing with a streamlined permit process and more flexible zoning rules in communities with less than 10 percent affordable housing stock, provided that the development has at least 20 to 25 percent of units devoted to low- and moderate-income families. At Juniper Hill, the affordability far exceeds this threshold, as 75 percent of the units will be available to those earning at or below 60 percent AMI (Area Median Income), and eight of those residences are targeted to deeper affordability levels of 30 to 50 percent AMI.
The units will be split into two sections, a “lower village” with 22 one- and two-bedroom apartments for seniors and smaller households, and on the north side of the site, an “upper village” with 24 townhouses in seven buildings to fit the scale of Wellfleet. The townhomes will be two- and three-bedroom units for families. Each townhouse has a front yard, a porch, and back patio or deck. All units and all buildings have photovoltaic panels to provide electricity.
Gail talked about the importance of community when designing the development, saying that there will be “doors facing doors” to create a neighborly atmosphere. She also spoke about developing land that’s “already been touched,” to reduce the number of trees to be cut and preserve existing open space.
Construction is anticipated to begin in fall 2023 and will be complete in about 12 to 18 months.
Jay added that Wellfleet will be allocating “a couple million dollars into the project in terms of the land and some community preservation and housing trust funds,” and more funding will be sought from the state.
