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03/05/2019 02:54 PMThe process to try to build a new affordable housing development in Guilford just took another step forward. The results of the request for proposals (RFP) are in and five developers have expressed interest in the project.
Guilford began its latest effort to develop more affordable housing in town a few years ago after a survey showed a lack of affordable housing for all ages was a big concern among residents. The local Housing for Economic Development Planning (HEDP) Committee began to look at possible solutions.
The definition of affordable can vary. For Guilford, where the median household income hovers in the $98,000 to $99,000 range, a home is considered affordable if a household with an annual income of approximately $76,000 can pay up to 30 percent of its monthly income for monthly housing costs; according to state guidelines, that Guilford household could afford $1,980 monthly.
Two grants from the state allowed the committee to identify several properties in Guilford that could be used for affordable development and then conduct a feasibility study. Of the eight sites identified, the committee moved forward with a parcel known as the Woodruff or Drive Way property located near the train station across from the Town Garage.
To conduct the feasibility study, the town hired Patriquin Architects to take a closer look at the Woodruff/Driveway property including looking at the physical capability of the project on the site in regard to things like sewage disposal, the potential number of units on the property, permitting needs, preliminary designs, and discussing the project with neighbors and the wider community. The town owns the property.
The finding was that the property is feasible for this kind of development and the RFP went out earlier this year. HEDP Chair and Selectman Sandy Ruoff said Town Planner George Kral confirmed that the RFP had five responses when the application window closed on Feb. 15.
“I am very thrilled that we have five responses to this,” she said. “The committee will be meeting to look at the proposals and then of course we will interview the candidates. It will be a process as everything is.”
The RFP included details like the land price as well as any other conditions that would govern the final development proposal. Since the property is town-owned land, the town has the power to decide whether the land is sold or leased to keep the project affordable.
First Selectman Matt Hoey said the number and type of responses to the RFP are promising.
“There are some familiar names on there including the organization that has the Apple Tree Lane development,” NeighborWorks, he said.
Hoey was also pleased that at least one for-profit entity interested, which he said means “if there are for-profit folks who think this is sustainable, it would easily be sustainable on a non-profit basis.”
The property is about nine acres and bordered by Old Whitfield Street, Driveway, and Stone House Lane. The property currently has the nonprofit Guilford Day Care Center; the Guilford Food Bank, which is managed by volunteers; and a small park on the land, none of which would be affected by the potential development.
The middle of the property can handle the septic requirements. Kral previously said the consultant has three models that provide anywhere from 15 to 20 housing units across a potential maximum of five buildings at this time. The development would not be reserved or exclusive to a specific age demographic and the hope is to create some two-bedroom and even three-bedroom units that would be more suitable to households with children.
As this process continues to move forward, Ruoff said there are plenty of approval steps still to come and there will be lots of opportunity for the public to weigh in. The committee meetings are public and noticed on the town website.