NORTHBOROUGH – Residents along Boundary Street are voicing concerns about the impact of a potential affordable housing project.
The property at the heart of the discussion is at 150 Boundary St. The total site is 32.07 acres, though the Northborough Affordable Housing Corporation (NAHC) is proposing to construct its housing project on about two acres of it.
The neighbors wrote a letter and came to the Dec. 16 Select Board meeting, outlining their concerns. They called it a “critical habitat” for wildlife, including coyotes, turkeys, bobcats, owls, rabbits, turtles and birds, noting the nearby Milham Reservoir. Hikers, bikers, joggers and families benefit from the Boroughs Loop Trail, which cuts through the site, they said. The Boroughs Loop Trail is a joint effort between the Sudbury Valley Trustees and the municipalities of Marlborough, Westborough, Southborough and Northborough to interconnect existing trails to provide one hiking trail.
“Our concern is obviously traffic, noise [and] it would eliminate that corridor for wildlife to travel from the Marlborough areas that are protected to behind that Windsor Lane area,” said Ken Roy during the meeting.
In the letter, the residents said there is heavy traffic on Boundary Street as it is a shortcut to I-290 and I-495.
“We believe that that is a property that is critical. If that was developed in such a two-acre parcel with the numbers that have been thrown around, it would absolutely deter any wildlife from traveling through,” said Roy.
Project
According to NAHC Treasurer Rick Leif, 10.28% of housing in Northborough is deemed affordable under state guidelines. He said that figure has steadily declined and was at one point over 11%. If the percentage drops below 10%, the town will be subject to 40B developments.
NAHC had requested that the property be donated to minimize the cost to acquire the land and make it easier for a developer to build housing that is entirely affordable.
Since Leif was last before the Select Board to discuss the project in November, the NAHC learned that the property has an assessed value of $241,000. Because the property’s value exceeds $35,000, Northborough cannot dispose of it without undergoing a request for proposals (RFP). Leif said the RFP can specify what the town wishes to see on the property, such as 100% affordable units. The Select Board and Town Administrator would determine what went into the RFP and which proposal would be most advantageous.
“Based on the need to select a developer through the RFP process, Habitat for Humanity has removed itself from early involvement with this project but intends to respond to the RFP when it is issued,” Leif wrote in a memo to the Select Board.
Habitat for Humanity had joined Leif at the Select Board meeting in November to present the project, which proposed to construct three duplexes.
RELATED CONTENT: Three Habitat for Humanity duplexes proposed for Boundary St.
Leif said that concerns about using the property for affordable housing have been raised since the November meeting.
“At the time we were originally looking at this property, we weren’t aware that the trail we saw going through the property was part of the Boroughs Loop Trail environment,” said Leif.
He said the Trails Committee have since more effectively marked it. NAHC met with the Trails Committee, which voted in support of moving the affected section to accommodate the housing project. According to a memo from Trails Committee Chair Brian Belfer to the Select Board, the committee recommended that the town retain a parcel to allow the trail to continue to exist without restriction; Planning Director Laurie Connors confirmed in a separate memo that both the trail and housing project could be accommodated in the location.
Connors recommended that the town retain a 50-foot buffer along the eastern property line that could act as a buffer and also accommodate the wildlife corridor.
The Select Board did not decide whether to place an article on the Town Meeting warrant to ask for the property to be donated. Members said they did not feel ready to make a decision and there were outstanding questions.
