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Officials point to Harvey Place partnership as template for affordable housing
Summary
Speakers described Harvey Place, a public‑private partnership where the city provided land and a builder constructed townhomes at or below cost with Habitat for Humanity selecting residents; towns seek to replicate the model for future phases.
Officials described Harvey Place as a practical model the town used to create affordable homeownership options. As the presenter explained, "This was a public private partnership between the city, a developer, and a nonprofit organization to come together to create townhomes that are affordable where the city provided the underlying land. The builder, in this case, Ferino, built the units at or below their cost. And then they, partnered with Habitat for Humanity to qualify residents and put them in these units."
Speakers said the town is identifying land and negotiating incentives with developers to expand the model (Harvey Place phase 2 and phase 3). They described negotiated contributions from developers — for example, a $250,000 payment earmarked for affordable housing and unit‑based commitments from other projects — as part of a toolbox to create workforce housing in a high‑cost market.
Officials stressed that demand remains strong and that replicating public‑land or incentive‑backed approaches will be one of several strategies to address affordability alongside workforce training and land swaps.
