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Concord leaders push faster Housing Production Plan as MCI Concord redevelopment looms
Summary
Members of Concord’s housing roundtable urged an accelerated update of the town’s Housing Production Plan to reflect redevelopment potential at the closed MCI Concord site and a separate opportunity at 91B Main Street, while warning subsidy gaps remain to produce deed-restricted affordable homes.
Regional Housing Services Office Director Kristen Guichard opened the roundtable and framed the meeting as a coordinated effort to implement Concord’s Housing Production Plan.
Keith Bergman of the Concord Municipal Affordable Housing Trust said the closure of MCI Concord presents a major redevelopment opportunity and recommended expediting the HPP update so the town’s goals and zoning reflect current market and community needs. He emphasized that the town’s Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) is a different metric from the number of deed-restricted affordable units and said more subsidy will be needed to produce truly affordable homes, including at a potential project at 91B Main Street.
Guichard provided a project-specific update on 91B Main Street, saying an Environmental Assessment is complete and under review and that consultants have produced an updated conceptual project cost estimate. Select Board member Mark Howell outlined plans for a consultant-led master planning process for the MCI Concord site, with a steering committee to be named, a conceptual plan expected by late June and draft zoning by fall. Howell said the master plan could include commercial, residential and wastewater treatment options as part of a phased roadmap for the property.
Why this matters: an updated Housing Production Plan and timely master planning for large redevelopment parcels can shape how many affordable units are feasible, what subsidies will be required, and which zoning changes the town should pursue. Bergman and others urged moving quickly so town planning, funding strategies and zoning changes can align with redevelopment timelines.
Town leaders flagged funding constraints: the Housing Trust reported limited available funding and said additional subsidy would be necessary for projects to move from concept to construction. The roundtable did not adopt a formal vote on the HPP timeline; participants expressed general support for accelerating the update and acknowledged it will require coordination across town boards and outside consultants. The meeting adjourned at 6:24 p.m.
