These questions concern the mission to provide affordable rental housing, and affordable daycare, in Groveland.
It is located on a 2.2 acre parcel of land at the corner of Washington St. and Salem St. in South Groveland. This parcel abuts the property of St. James Episcopal Church; it is made up of two lots: the former Richdale store, and the former Rectory and parish hall of St. Patrick's Church (now a part of Sacred Hearts Parish).
Our architect has provided a layout; there are other options which we will present to Groveland Planning Board.
These affordable rental units will be available to families whose income is between $30K and $80K.
We hope to serve the local community (Groveland) first. Up to 70% of the units will be available for Groveland residents and the remaining 30% will be made available to residents of Groveland and other communities.
This will not be a shelter for the homeless, or for victims of domestic violence, or for persons in rehabilitation. This will not be shelter for transients. All of these persons deserve our support, but this project is planned for other purposes.
Basically, because it makes no sense to ask,
"What do you think of me tearing down my neighbor's house, and building something else on his land?"Until we had site control (that is, purchase and sale agreements for all property), we had no right to talk about what might be done.
This started some years ago when St James developed its strategic plan to serve the community. Reliable government data showed that two major needs of Groveland were affordable housing and affordable daycare.
St James (Groveland), Trinity (Haverhill), and Episcopal City Mission (ECM) (an agency of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts) agreed to be partners in this mission.
Coming Home Inc (CHI) was formed, as a not-for-profit corporation, to carry out this project. The directors of CHI are drawn from the members of St James, from Trinity, and from the community.
St James has been a member of this neighborhood for 140 years, and is an abutter to the new housing / day care center. Trinity has been a neighbor for over 150 years. ECM has supported affordable housing for decades. We look forward to being a positive force in the community.
Lots of people:
We want to take down 3 buildings (currently 5 housing units) and improve the site to include 12 - 15 housing units and 1 daycare / multi-use center. The details of this plan may change after discussion with the town.
We want to improve the safety and the appearance of the corner of Washington and Salem Street. Because the number of accidents at that corner, 4-way stop signs were recently erected. The new buildings will make a positive difference on sightlines, making the corner more safe.
In sum, members of St James (Groveland), and Trinity (Haverhill), who serve on the board of CHI, have agreed to promote the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of the community not only by providing affordable rental housing and daycare, but also by advocating for related infrastructure such as transportation and social networking.
This is an effort for Groveland, not for Lawrence, Haverhill, Lowell, or other neighboring communities.
We are building quality 2 and 3 unit clusters that we ourselves could live in.
We will incorporate "green" technology to the maximum extent possible. The townhouses will have energy efficient design to reduce energy expenses for tenants. The daycare center will too, to reduce operating expenses.
It will not be a "project", or a "ghetto".
The architect has the goal of designing units that are compatible with the houses in the neighborhood. He calls them "town house" style buildings, two or three units with separate front doors, sharing a common wall. As soon as architect sketches are available, they will be posted.
Currently, the Groveland Housing Authority has a waiting list for affordable housing. It takes many months to advance to the head of the line.
This will add 12-15 units to the inventory of the town's affordable rental housing stock. Currently, only 3.5% of the housing in Groveland is affordable. (The stated goal is to have 10% affordable.)
This project will have a positive economic impact on the local community.
The initial construction will involve some 3 million dollars, with work for local contractors.
The operation and maintenance of the completed facility will provide permanent full-time and part-time jobs.
Also, affordable daycare in the neighborhood will allow more families to hold jobs, and to keep more of the money they earn.
Lastly, the Center for Housing Policy has published a review that shows that usually there is no great effect on local housing values.
the Center for Housing Policy has published a review that shows that the effect on children is complex.
Yes. The letter sent on September 29 contains a number of false assumptions, and incorrect information. We would like to respond to these. However, the quotes from the original, and our responses, are long. Therefore, our ideas warrant a separate page.
Copyright © 2008- Coming Home Inc
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