Charles River Center and nonprofit developer outline 86-unit affordable housing plan with on-site services

The Planning Board received an informal presentation June 17 from Charles River Center (CRC) and the Planning Office for Urban Affairs on an 86-unit inclusive affordable housing project to be sited on roughly 3.5 acres adjacent to the CRC campus.

Ann Marie Bajra, president and CEO of Charles River Center, described the project as mixed supportive and community housing: “We are developing 86 affordable housing units…half of which will be designated to the general community and half of which will be designated to the Charles River Center clientele,” she said. The CRC team said on-site wraparound services for residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities will be funded by state sources and the CRC’s program operations.

Phil Crane, project manager for the Planning Office for Urban Affairs, said the project recently received a $2.8 million Community Preservation Act commitment from the town and that the project team expects to seek a Project Eligibility letter from the state’s housing office before filing a comprehensive-permit application in the fall. Crane described a timeline that would target a funding application in the winter round and construction roughly a year after funding award.

Design details presented by project architect Jay Simanski showed a three-story main building with 61 parking spaces, three single-story six-unit “cluster” buildings intended to provide small-household communal living, and site plans that limit grading to preserve perimeter trees. Rebecca Bauschon, landscape architect, said the team will preserve existing perimeter vegetation where possible, remove invasive bittersweet and replant with native species, and explore sensory and healing gardens tied to CRC programming.

The project team also said all buildings are being designed to meet Passive House standards and include rooftop renewable energy. Parking was proposed at about 61 spaces, roughly one per apartment, and the team said it plans a site shuttle to connect residents to transit and services; the project team is discussing possible shared shuttle arrangements with other local providers.

Board members responded positively to the project presentation and asked for more technical submittals as the team proceeds through the state eligibility, design review, and comprehensive-permit processes. No formal application was submitted to the Planning Board on June 17; the presentation was informational and the project team said it will return with formal filings and state application materials later this year.

The board did not take an action June 17; this summary reflects the content of the informational presentation and the public Q&A at the June 17 meeting.