Municipal Affordable Housing Trust Rejects Three of Four Coast Guard Housing Proposals

Town Manager Richard Reed (c) with (l-r) MAHT member Lisa Mustapich, Selectman Liaison Mark Siegenthaler, Assistant Town Manager Mike Rosen, MAHT member Irma Carter, Selectman Liaison Michael Rosenberg and Daniel Gaulin,representing the Regional Services Housing Organization. Not pictured, MAHT chair Christina Wilgren. Image (c) JMcCT, 2017 all rights reserved


By Dot Bergin

Disappointment and dismay were feelings strongly apparent at the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust meeting on January 4, as the Trust voted, upon the advice of Town Manager Rick Reed, to eliminate from consideration two proposals for redeveloping the Coast Guard/Pine Hill property because they failed to meet the minimum financial requirements as specified in the Request for Proposal. A third proposal was eliminated because it did notspecify the required April 25, 2017 closing date for acquisition of the property from the federal government. Although there could be the possibility for extension of the closing date to September, this was regarded by all as a risky proposition.

In opening the meeting, Reed laid out the ground rules: all proposals to be considered by the Trust must meet the minimum requirements as specified in the RFP.  As chief procurement officer for the town, Reed said his obligation was to make sure the proposals were in compliance with the RFP. [https://www.bedfordma.gov/municipal-affordable-housing-trust/pages/coast-housing-property-proposals]

According to Reed’s evaluation (in collaboration with staff, Bedford’s Town Counsel and the Regional Services Housing Organization), proposals from The Village at Bedford, LLC,and from DeVellis Consulting Group, Bedford, failed to meet the minimum financial requirements set forth in the RFP. Reed came to the meeting with a pair of motions to eliminate the proposals and the Trust then voted to eliminate them from consideration (although not without misgivings on the part of some Trust members, who were dismayed that there would be no opportunity for discussion of ideas presented in them.)

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Trust member Mark Siegenthaler questioned the validity of the proposal from NOW Communities, LLC,(developer of Riverwalk in West Concord) because it did not specify the required April 25, 2017 closing date but pushed out the date until September. For this reason, the Trust also voted to eliminate NOW Communities. Town Manager Reed voted yes on this motion although he said he was “torn” by the decision.

What then remained?  The one proposal that appeared to meet all minimums came from TR Advisors, LLC (TRA),Boston, in collaboration with A. W. Perry, Inc. From informational materials projected to the audience of some 30 citizens in the room, TRA is a large, multi-faceted design and construction firm with strong financial backing.  On the ranking scheme developed for the proposals, Reed said this firm’s collective experience would give it a “highly advantageous” rating; Trust members concurred.

TRA proposes to demolish three of the existing Pine Hill homes and rehabilitate 12 of them, offering them as rental units for a period of 18 months.  Approximately $65,000 would be required to bring the homes up to code, to refurbish the interiors, and to add a garage and porch.  The company would then build 17 new-construction units for sale, making a total of 29 units on the five-acre property.

Trust member Christina Wilgren questioned the desirability of “rehabbing” outdated former military housing and asked if insulation were on the list of work to be done (it is not spelled out.)  Wilgren said she did not regard a rehabbed unit as “quality housing” and would not want to put tenants in it. Reed pointed out that once the developer acquires the project it will proceed as with any other development in town, i.e., it will go before the various town boards-Planning, ZBA, etc.-and changes and recommendations can be made at that time.

The next step: Since there was no need for a second meeting to consider proposals, a tentative meeting for January 5 was cancelled.  Reed said he would contact TRA and arrange for their team to come in for an interview with the Trust on January 11, or January 12. In the meantime, TRA’s references would be checked.

As stated out the outset, this was a regular meeting of the Trust, not a public hearing, and thus no public comments were allowed.  Some 30 residents and team members from several developers were on hand and at the conclusion of the meeting, some comments and questions were allowed.  Lee Vorderer reminded the Trust that “accessibility” should be of prime importance in developing these properties.  She did not see universal design mentioned in any of the plans, although it was in the charrettes which shaped the vision of what the town wanted.  Again, Reed said these matters can be addressed via the various Town boards.  Amy Lloyd protested that the TRA proposal is not a real project proposal, since the developer simply cut and pasted a design from our charrette.

Lastly, Brian DeVellis vehemently decried the elimination of his proposal, declaring the reasons given as “disingenuous.” He suggested the Trust should vote out all proposals and call for re-submission.  Reed’s response was “We’ve already voted; the proposals have been reviewed by the Regional Services Housing Organization, by Town Counsel, and Town staff and we’ve all agreed.”

The question remains whetherthe Trust will take any action in response to their own-and townspeople’s-questions.

To read all four proposals on the town web site, click here: https://www.bedfordma.gov/municipal-affordable-housing-trust/pages/coast-housing-property-proposals

 

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