PELHAM — Pelham’s first affordable housing project, featuring almost three dozen one, two- and three-bedroom apartments on the site of a former fly rod factory, remains on track to be developed in the next two years.
Known as Amethyst Brook Apartments, the $12 million project proposed by Home City Development Inc. of Springfield has begun the process of Conservation Commission review with the filing of a notice of intent under the Wetlands Protection Act.
The redevelopment, proposed for the properties at 18-22 Amherst Road, continues to have support from both the Pelham Housing Committee and many residents, said committee Chairman Tilman Lukas.
This was demonstrated last fall when Town Meeting agreed to provide $500,000 from the Community Preservation Act account toward the project. Lukas said this is a nonbinding commitment because the town doesn’t yet have enough money in the account.
The ongoing review, which began in late January, is expected to soon be followed by filing for a comprehensive permit under the state’s Chapter 40B to the Zoning Board of Appeals, Lukas said. A comprehensive 40B permit, once approved, allows a developer to avoid various local bylaws.
“Once the comprehensive permit is issued later this year, Home City Development will begin to apply for affordable housing resources from the Massachusetts Department Of Housing and Community Development,” said Peter Serafino, director of real estate development for Home City.
Serafino estimates that groundbreaking would occur in 2023.
The state’s low-income housing tax credit program will also support the project.
The former Montague Fly Rod Factory at 22 Amherst Road, a building with portions dating to 1872, will be razed and replaced with a three-story building containing 28 apartments.
In its application, the developer notes that this was the only feasible property in town for such a development, despite the challenges of being close to Amethyst Brook: “With regards to the physical characteristics of this site, the profound physical constraints that surround the property include steep rocky slopes, ledge, and riverfront area severely restrict the available design options for the project.”
At 20 Amherst Road, a building with six apartments will replace a 5,200-square-foot 1829 farmhouse and associated barns and sheds. The application states that the farmhouse would be too costly to rehabilitate.
“Considering the large size of the building, age and condition of the structure, the cost to renovate to current building to conform to existing codes for either single-family or two-family use would be prohibitively expensive. Other than renovation for multi-family use, new construction is the only alternative development scenario for the property.”
The site being redeveloped also features a single-family dwelling at 18 Amherst Road that will be sold as a separate single-family home.
After the project is built, the town will be up to 7% affordable housing stock. All of the apartments will be affordable to households earning up to 60% of area median income, which for a family of four is $53,000, while nine apartments will be for those with incomes at or below 30% area median income, and seven apartments will be for those with incomes at or below 50% area median income.
Lukas said that with the project will also come safety improvements to the road aimed at slowing traffic in the village center, near the Pelham Elementary School, library and public safety complex. The road is one of the main corridors commuters to the University of Massachusetts use from points to the east and northeast.
