MSHDA gives conditional approval for Act 381 work plan for Lowell site; Kent County readies affordability‑monitoring contracts

Haley Stichman, Community Development Coordinator for Kent County, told the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority on March 23 that MSHDA issued conditional approval for FROM’s Act 381 Work Plan for the 405 E. Main Street development in Lowell. Stichman also said County staff are preparing affordability‑monitoring proposals for two projects and indicated those proposals could be contracted to the County to support compliance work.

The conditional approval for the Act 381 work plan was reported as a staff update; no vote was required for that item. Stichman framed the affordability‑monitoring work as part of staff efforts to ensure compliance with housing affordability commitments tied to certain brownfield or housing‑TIF projects.

During the public comment period, D Jones, identified in the record as a Kent County resident, encouraged the Authority to consider policies favorable to 3‑D printed construction as a means of increasing the supply of affordable housing. The minutes record the comment but do not show a formal response from Board members or staff at the meeting.

Stichman did not provide dollar amounts or a timeline for the affordability‑monitoring contracts in the minutes; she said proposals are being prepared for two local projects. The minutes show the Board approved related procedural items later in the meeting but do not tie any specific contract awards to the staff update. The next procedural step recorded for staff was to complete legal review where requested (for the RLF amendment) and to publish or implement approved documents such as the Housing TIF guidelines.