By Dot Bergin
Bedford’s Housing Partnership considered the affordable unit at the Fox Run development and heard a preliminary on the progress of the Town’s negotiations for the Coast Guard housing at their meeting on Thursday.
Affordable unit in the Fox Run development
At their October 13 meeting, the Bedford Housing Partnership voted to recommend to the Planning Board that the home at the corner of Fox Run and Springs Road be maintained as an affordable unit “in perpetuity,” as part of David Bernstein’s Fox Run development.
The issue was whether or not to recommend retention of the home versus tearing it down. A concern was that the home, built in 1928, might mean higher maintenance and heating costs for a prospective owner.
Housing Partnership members Lisa Mustapich and Christina Wilgren reported that they had toured the property inside and out and were convinced that, pending certain improvements specified in the Inspection Report, the home would be a desirable affordable unit. Most affordable units are rental; this is a rare opportunity for someone to own an affordable property.
Bernstein clarified that the current proposal for Fox Run has now been scaled back from the original 13 single family units to seven; five on Fox Run and two on Buehler Road, thus reducing the density of the development. (Note: there will be a third public hearing on this development at the November 15 Planning Board meeting.
Update on the Town’s negotiations for the Coast Guard Housing
The Housing Partnership heard encouraging news from Assistant Town Manager Mike Rosen on the Coast Guard housing project on October 13.
Bedford’s Town Counsel is now speaking directly with the Coast Guard’s attorney, which is helping to speed up negotiations. Rosen indicated that the proposed purchase price is acceptable to the Coast Guard (discussions on sale price have taken place in Executive session in the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust meetings;) now it remains for details to be worked out.
Rosen has revisited the Request for Proposal (RFP) which will be released to developers as soon as the Town gets the go-ahead. Bedford already has a list of developers who have expressed interest in acquiring and developing the property. The RFP will also be advertised on the town’s website, in the press, and in the State’s Goods and Services Bulletin.
The Municipal Affordable Housing Trust will interview the top three developers, in meetings that will be open to the public.
All those responding to the RFP will have copies of the Executive Summary of the 2014 Charrettes, which gives clear guidelines as to how town residents would like to see the property developed. (Read the Executive summary here, complete with photos and aerial views of the Pine Hill road site: https://bit.ly/2e4xdJN)
Loading ...
