AMHERST — A $5 million project to bring 28 affordable apartments to a property at 132 Northampton Road continues to receive some of the funding needed to make it a reality.
The latest financing came in late September when the state announced the awarding of a Community Development Block Grant for Amherst, with $200,000 going toward the project.
But Laura Baker, real estate project manager for Valley Community Development Corp., says moving forward with the project is not imminent, even though Valley CDC has also lined up $500,000 that the Amherst Town Council agreed to borrow from the Community Preservation Act account in July, and secured $50,000 from the Charlesbank Foundation.
“Aside from that, we’re working on what we will submit to the state,” Baker said.
A project applicability letter will go to the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development, likely this fall, to seek state Housing Innovations Fund and Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
“We are wanting to be comprehensive with it,” Baker said.
When the letter is sent, that will start a 30-day comment period.
“With the amount of interest in the project, there will be a public comment period, and we will do a site plan visit,” Baker said.
The proposed development features exclusively studio apartments, with eight reserved for those making $31,050 annually or less; eight reserved for those making $49,700 or less; 10 reserved for those making $18,650 or less, with a preference for the homeless; and two units reserved for those making $18,650 or less who are clients of the Department of Mental Health.
Each unit will be about 240 square feet and have a kitchenette and bathroom, with the building also including common areas and a provider office.
Neighbors have objected to aspects of the project, taking issue with the fact that it will not feature round-the-clock supervision, that it hasn’t been scaled back and that it will house only individuals, rather than mixing in family-oriented units.
Should full funding come from the state, Amherst’s Zoning Board of Appeals will still hold hearings under the state’s chapter 40B law before issuing a comprehensive permit.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com
