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Plymouth board approves plans and authorizes pursuit of $750,000 CDBG for Plymouth Apartments renovations
Summary
The Select Board accepted a housing and a displacement‑protections plan required for a $750,000 Community Development Block Grant application to renovate Plymouth Apartments, authorized the town manager to sign application documents, and heard project details from Elm Grove and Lakes Region Planning Commission representatives.
The Plymouth Select Board on Tuesday voted to adopt a three‑year Housing and Community Development Plan and a Residential Anti‑Displacement and Relocation Assistance Plan, steps the town must take to apply for up to $750,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to renovate Plymouth Apartments on Morgan Drive.
Matt Rose, environmental planner and grant writer with the Lakes Region Planning Commission, framed the CDBG program as a HUD‑funded tool for “providing assistance for improving economic opportunities and community revitalization needs for low to moderate income persons.” Rose said the town would be the applicant, LRPC would assist with grant writing and administration, and Elm Grove Companies would be the subrecipient if awarded.
Brian Webster of Elm Grove described the proposed purchase and renovation of two parcels at 27 and 49 Morgan Drive, totaling 66 units. Webster told the board the work would include interior upgrades (new flooring, paint, cabinets, doors) and exterior improvements (playground, patio, pavement repairs) and said the company would implement an average 60% AMI land‑use restriction across the property to preserve affordability. “So there will be no displacement at all,” Webster said when asked how current tenants would be handled.
Board members pressed staff and presenters about compliance and financial risk. Officials noted that Davis‑Bacon wage requirements apply during construction and that both the grantee (the town) and the subrecipient share compliance obligations; LRPC will monitor reporting to reduce the risk of federal recapture. Rose described repayment of funds as the worst‑case enforcement mechanism but said the state CDFA and LRPC would work with the town and subrecipient to remedy problems before recapture was required.
The board also asked about timing and affordability periods. Elm Grove estimated construction would take 12–18 months and said New Hampshire Housing Finance Authority typically requires affordability compliance for at least 10 years; some loans carry longer affordability periods.
After discussion the board voted to accept the two plans required for the CDBG application and to authorize the town manager to sign application materials, clearing the way for the town to submit the application.
The town will publish application materials at town hall and hold a second hearing in the process; if the grant is awarded, Lakes Region will administer the award and Elm Grove would implement the renovations.
