The Board of Selectmen today received the memo below from Jim Brand of the Affordable Housing Trust recommending that the Board of Selectmen approve as a friendly 40B the Mayrock Development of 56 rental units at the Legion site.

If John Kelly’s Medfield Meadows project on Dale Street gets Zoning Board of Appeals approval and if Mayrock is approved too, Jim Brand states that “[t]his will bring us to a total of 411 units and 9.7% …”  Plus the 45 unit Rosebay project on the Tilden Village site is still in the works, which could put the town comfortably over the 10% affordable housing threshold that allows the town to avoid unfriendly 40B’s.

The town owes a lot of thanks to the Affordable Housing Trust members for their work sheparding the many various developer initiated friendly 40B projects that have the town on the cusp of achieving a permanent 40B safe harbor.

To:                   Board of Selectmen

From:              Jim Brand, Affordable Housing Trust Board of Trustees

Date:               February 17, 2019

Subject:           Mayrock Development at 50 Peter Kristof Way

I write as an Affordable Housing Trust member and project liaison to brief the Board of Selectman on the process and deliberations leading to the endorsement of the Mayrock Development, Inc’s LIP proposal for the American Legion site at 50 Peter Kristof Way.

The Legion property is listed as a potential project in Medfield’s Housing Production Plan and tracked by the Affordable Housing Trust (AHT) since first convening in August of 2017.  As is the process, I was assigned as the project liaison to keep open channels with the property owner and any potential developers, serving as a resource and a way to keep the Trust informed.

The American Legion entered into a purchase agreement with Mayrock Development, LLC in late July of 2018 and Mayrock immediately engaged in the Medfield prescribed “friendly 40b” process.  Mayrock proposed a 56 unit four story apartment building comprised of 32 one, 18 two, and 6 three bedroom units, 25% of which will be affordable.  Additionally, the proposed development includes a common meeting room that will be used by the Legion for their meetings.

The formal interactions of the AHT and Mayrock are as follows:

8-2-18          – Intro meeting with Mayrock, Sarah Raposa and Jim Brand as AHT liaison

9-26-18        – Abutter meeting held by Mayrock at the American Legion.

10-4-18        – AHT Meeting #1 – Presented design.  AHT requested traffic & market surveys.

12-6-18        – AHT Meeting #2 – Provided material, took additional questions.

2-4-19          – AHT Meeting #3 – Presented final material, AHT voted to endorse to BoS.

The abutter meeting had very few abutters in attendance, but had a few other citizen and Legion members.  There were generally no significant objections voiced about the proposed project.

During the formal AHT meetings Mayrock was open to the comments and suggestion of the Trust, and performed requested traffic studies and housing market analysis.   These showed a minimal impact on total traffic, and a satisfactory housing demand and saturation rate for apartments of the type and cost being considered.  Concurrently the AHT initiated a “mini market review” through its housing consultant Community Opportunities Group (COG) that looked at Medfield and the neighboring towns taking into account the development that is in the pipeline.  This similarly showed market support.

Building size, unit count and traffic were taken into consideration as part of the deliberations, it was generally felt by the Trust that this location could adequately accommodate a development of this size without negative impact to the area.

As it relates to safe harbor and our drive to 10%, 25% of the apartment units are affordable, allowing the town to receive credit for all 56 units and provide two years of safe harbor for 2020 and 2021.  Being self-financed or carrying low debt, there is low risk financing will not come through.  This will bring us to a total of 411 units and 9.7% assuming Medfield Meadows received ZBA approval.

The only other significant development on the horizon is Rosebay on Pound Street, the proposed 45 unit senior housing development.  For several reasons, including those stated in the Town’s comment letter and the development’s dependence on DHCD tax credit funding, it is unlikely that this project would ready for the Town’s 2020 safe harbor deadline if it proceeds at all.

At the 2-4-19 meeting the Affordable Housing Trust board vote 4-0-1 (two members absent, one abstained) to endorse this project to the Board of Selectman for consideration as a Local Initiative Project.

Respectfully submitted,

Jim Brand

Affordable Housing Trust member