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Brunswick task force keeps 51% affordability baseline in Hawthorne School RFP, seeks broader applicant pool
Summary
Task force members refined the Hawthorne School RFP to boost vision scoring and list outcomes such as affordable housing, community space and historic preservation, debated whether survey language implied 15% or 51% affordability, and set outreach, site-visit and evaluation timelines ahead of a July 2 deadline.
BRUNSWICK — Members of the Hawthorne School redevelopment task force on May 19 agreed to tighten the project vision language and scoring in the town’s request for proposals while leaving the town’s 51% affordability definition available as a baseline in the RFP.
Staff said the RFP will add 20 points to the vision score and explicitly list desired outcomes — maximizing affordable housing, adding community space, expanding green space and playgrounds, and preserving historic features — and that staff will post the updated RFP on the town website once the changes are finalized.
The discussion focused largely on how to interpret survey responses and what affordability target the RFP should reference. “I was a little upset about that and surprised by that,” said Matt Shedd, a community member, describing his concern that the survey’s language left the meaning of “affordability” unclear and that some task force discussion had shifted toward percentages that might not reflect respondents’ intent.
Task force members and staff responded that the 15% figure cited in some background material is a reference statistic, while the town’s zoning definition (51% in certain contexts) can serve as a fallback. “We are not held to that,” said Sally Castelliger, who spoke during the meeting, arguing the task force has discretion to choose higher targets. A council member noted survey tallies showing roughly 6% of respondents mentioned a playground whereas about 25% selected market-rate housing, and said those trade-offs informed her view that 51% as a baseline was reasonable.
Members debated permanence versus homeownership models for affordable units. Some argued for permanently restricted affordable housing to preserve long-term community stock; others said limited-equity or time-limited restrictions and ownership options can let households build wealth. Staff described one scenario in which using historic tax credits would require rental occupancy for five years before a possible conversion to ownership, and said the task force can negotiate term lengths such as multi-decade affordability covenants if it chooses.
On outreach, staff said the town will post the RFP on the town website and social media, notify municipal associations, reach out directly to developers who expressed prior interest, and distribute materials at an upcoming Build Maine conference. Members suggested additional postings to regional real-estate and development associations and nonprofit job boards.
Staff proposed a site visit and Q&A for prospective applicants; June 4 was listed as the planned date, with the possibility of moving to May 26 to give developers more notice. Proposals are due July 2. The task force will meet on June 16 to review evaluation criteria and scoring; staff said financial-capacity information will be presented to members in executive session to assist scoring.
Next steps: staff will finalize and post the amended RFP, confirm the site-visit date, solicit proposals through the outreach channels discussed, and prepare evaluation packets for the June 16 meeting.
