Community housing committee reviews local project updates; trust requires four affordable units for mixed‑use 645 Route 28 proposal

The Town of Yarmouth Community Housing Committee met and reviewed updates on several local housing projects, including a Habitat for Humanity eligibility letter for six homes at 1121 Route 28 and a mixed‑use redevelopment proposal at 645 Route 28.

Committee members said Habitat for Humanity has the project eligibility letter and will prepare an application to the Zoning Board of Appeals for six affordable homes at 1121 Route 28. The committee noted the organization had support from trustees and local stakeholders at a recent public hearing.

The committee discussed a separate proposal to demolish an existing restaurant and build a two‑story mixed‑use structure at 645 Route 28 with roughly 2,400 square feet of commercial space and 11 apartments. Local officials said the affordable housing trust provided acquisition assistance and that the trust agreement requires four affordable one‑bedroom units as a condition of that assistance — higher than the town’s zoning minimum of two affordable units. Committee members emphasized that the trust condition must be reflected in the planning board/special‑permit decision or the developer could be required to return funds to the trust.

Members also reviewed an eight‑unit project at 811 Route 28 (conversion of an old motel) and discussed a proposal to convert a central laundry space into a one‑level fully accessible unit; that project has not yet filed a special‑permit application. For a luxury townhouse proposal at 702 Route 28, committee members said the developer intends to opt out of on‑site affordable units and pay a fee in lieu. The committee discussed how the in‑lieu payment is calculated (based on median condominium sale prices for condominium/duplex projects) and cited an illustrative in‑lieu figure discussed during the meeting of about $150,000 for a recent example. Members also raised concerns about parking layouts for some Route 28 projects and urged applicants to consider reconfiguring lower‑level space to increase garage parking.

The committee asked staff to ensure that the planning board’s special‑permit decisions reference the trust agreement where acquisition funds were provided, and to provide any signed trust agreement language to planning staff as part of the comment packet. No formal votes on the projects themselves were taken at the meeting.

The committee scheduled follow‑up and noted that the 645 Route 28 special‑permit application is slated for the planning board’s agenda in the coming week; the Habitat for Humanity ZBA filing was described as “in preparation.”