Select Board approves LIP support, waives connection fees for Village Commons and approves 25 Connector hotel conversion

The Select Board approved two Local Initiative Program (LIP) actions intended to add permanently affordable housing units to the town’s Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI).

For Village Commons at Donia Drive, the developer and town engineer presented a drainage plan the board had requested earlier; Farooq Ansari, representing Village Commons, said the plan satisfies staff milestones and the developer agreed to complete outstanding public‑works items in spring. The board voted to authorize Chair Johnson to execute the LIP application for four units at Donia Drive and to waive water and sewer connection fees for the affordable units; the motion passed 5–0.

Separately, Mark O’Hagan of 25 Connector LLC described converting an extended‑stay hotel into permanent rental housing. The Affordable Housing Trust provided funds so the project would secure a regulatory agreement for 25% affordable units (rather than the 20% baseline) so that the town gets 100% of those units counted toward its SHI. O’Hagan said the affordable one‑bedroom rent in the proposal is $1,995 and the market one‑bedroom is about $2,100; he explained the proposed rents initially include utilities paid by the developer while the property completes required conversions. The Select Board voted to approve the LIP application for 25 Connector Road and authorized the chair to sign the support narrative and associated documents; vote 5–0.

Both approvals were presented to the board with supporting town‑staff recommendations. The regulatory agreements described for the 25 Connector project were said to ensure long‑term affordability (no sunset), and the board indicated it would return for final road‑acceptance approvals once site work is complete for Village Commons.