The Sandwich Housing Authority plans to build 24 new affordable housing units on George Fernandez Way according to the authority’s chairman Robert Simmons.
The housing units will be spread throughout six buildings, four units each, and will include four one bedroom, 16 two bedroom, and four three bedroom townhouse units.
The new housing will be built on 10 acres the housing authority already owns. It will be available for elderly and handicapped residents and low to moderate-income families. The authority also owns a 12-unit complex of two and three bedroom family homes on George Fernandez Way, which will abut the new housing. Simmons said the authority is taking “a more community oriented approach” with the new housing units.
“We want to make sure there are elderly, handicapped, and families. We don’t want just one group. We think [a diverse group] would make for a better community.”
Simmons said adding the new housing units would cost approximately $7 million. The authority will request $1.8 million in Community Preservation Act funds and will pay for the rest through tax credit financing and state and federal programs. It will submit an application to the community preservation committee in September.
“For a project like this, you can’t go to one source and get the whole package. It will be a collection of subsidies, a collection of government programs,” Simmons said.
According to the town’s Web site, the Community Preservation Act allows towns to institute a property tax surcharge of up to 3 percent to create a community preservation fund that can qualify for state matching funds. “The Fund must be used to acquire and protect open space, preserve historic buildings and landscapes, and create and maintain affordable housing.”
The authority hired Marc Slotnick of New England Communities Inc. to help acquire financing for the project. Slotnick was the associate director of the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) for 15 years. According to Simmons, Slotnick oversaw 50,000 units of housing in 243 housing authorities while with the DHCD.
“We need somebody who can look at a wide variety of funding sources. We need somebody who knows what other agencies are doing and programs that we can implement,” Simmons said. “As far as affordable housing in the industry, [Slotnick] has got one of the best reputations.”
Simmons said the economic crisis will actually benefit the housing authority because more contractors will be willing to take on the project for less money. “There’s a lot more people looking for work and there’s a lot less construction going on,” he said.
The declining economy also allowed the authority to purchase a three-bedroom home in Forestdale, which it will rent out for $1,300 per month. The authority received funding to purchase a home in 2006 and 2007 but couldn’t afford it at that time.
“All of a sudden we can afford property,” Simmons said.
He said the authority is planning to purchase a second property before the end of this year.
