The Marblehead Housing Authority met on Nov. 4 and 6 to learn more about plans for the $67 million Broughton Road redevelopment project with WinnDevelopment.
Broughton Road currently has 62 units, some as old as 75 years. The proposal is to renovate 44 units and replace 18. A new building on Broughton Road will house another 60 units.
The MHA has hired a consultant to oversee design aspects of the project. On Monday, SV Design Principal Stefano Basso updated the MHA with feedback gathered from Broughton Road residents. Basso shared a conceptual drawing of the property, explaining the design aspects.
MHA member William Kuker urged Basso to consider moving the project’s new building away from Humphrey Street.
“I’d like to see it go down at the end closer to the Rail Trail and that way you would be tearing down two less buildings,” Kuker said. “It’s not the wise thing to put a big in your face project right there on Humphrey Street where everybody’s going to see it.”
Several other design issues were discussed, including architectural details, second bathrooms in some units and storage options to improve functionality and space. Additional ideas included prioritizing community areas like playgrounds and adult gathering spaces.
The project is focusing on high-energy efficiency with geothermal studies and electric vehicle parking.
“They’ve [WinnDevelopment] discussed being very committed to being as sustainable as humanly possible,” said MHA Vice Chair Terri Tauro. “They have a whole division within their organization that kind of manages that aspect of design. And in the conceptual plan they submitted, they did discuss at length their commitment to it. I think that that’s definitely something that we should communicate and be sure that that’s considered one of the higher priorities in everything that we’re discussing.”
To find more information on the Broughton Road project, visit broughtonrd.com.
