Above: The Town is doing more research on one potential, small Affordable Housing project and considering a second. (image edited from Town GIS map)
Last month, I wrote about the Town’s efforts to pursue a small Affordable Housing project on Atwood Street. At the time the Town planned to notify abutters about a public forum this month to discuss the project.
That has been paused based on a possible environmental issue. Meanwhile the Town is now also eying a property on Southville Road.
Southborough Housing Opportunity Partnership Committee (SHOPC) and the Affordable Housing Trust Fund Committee (AHTFC) had been discussing a possible project on the Town owned site of a former water tower on Atwood Street.
Public Works Superintendent Bill Cundiff informed Town Administrator Mark Purple that the site could be contaminated. Initially, Cundiff was concerned that old towers typically used lead paint. Because it was likely sandblasted before repainting, the grounds around the tower might be contaminated. When he reached out to the Town’s contractor, he learned that PCBs may have also been used at the site.
Last week, the Select Board authorized spending up to $4,200 from the engineering study budget to have the grounds analyzed for both potential contaminates.
According to a memo from Purple, that covers 4-8 hours of field work, collection of samples from the site around the base of the old water, and testing. If contamination is found, then the Town will have to look at what is required for remediation. Cundiff noted that if results come back positive, a more “comprehensive assessment” would have to be conducted to determine the volume and scope of contamination.
Al Hamilton (Select Board member and Chair of the AHTFC) updated the Planning Board on the status at their meeting on Monday. Upon questioning, he said that communication with abutters had been paused while the Town investigates the issue.
In that update, he told Planning that AHTFC is now also interested in 57 Southville Road “which currently has a Cape that is in very, very poor condition”. (See image right from the Town’s GIS Map.) Hamilton said that due to laws relating to confidentiality of Executive Session Meetings, he couldn’t say more about that.
Unlike the 1.8 acre Atwood parcel, the 0.4 acre Southville Road property is privately owned. It was purchased by an LLC in April for $200,000.
Hamilton indicated the AHTFC is still hoping that something can be brought to the Annual Town Meeting in March.
As for what the Town would do with either properties, Hamilton said that they were considering duplexes. He acknowledged that if they pursue that, or anything beyond single family homes, they will have to come before the Planning Board for approval. Consistent with officials’ past statements, he said anything they do will have to be “in harmony with the neighborhood”.
Hamilton also answered a question from Planning Board and SHOPC member Jesse Stein about the procurement process for pursuing a project.
Previously, Hamilton and SHOPC discussed an informal process for contacting developers. Stein had questioned the legality of the process and was assured it would be run by Town Counsel.
On Monday, Hamilton told Stein that he had been “schooled” by Town Counsel on procurement laws. If the Town does pursue a project, they will conduct the standard RFP (Request for Proposal) process rather than reaching out directly to vendors.
On a semi-related topic, under the Planning Board’s discussion of the MBTA Communities zoning bylaw, Chair Meme Luttrell confirmed that they plan to include a 10% Affordable Housing requirement, the maximum allowed under the state law.
