Members of the Marblehead Housing Committee met Tuesday, Nov. 10, to review development proposals for the former Coffin School and hear updates on housing projects at Broughton Road and the historic Gen. John Glover farmhouse property.
“It’s exciting to have three new, I wouldn’t say large-scale, but small-to-medium scale projects coming online for the town,” said Brendan Callahan, director of Marblehead’s Community Development and Planning Department.
The primary focus was two proposals submitted Oct. 19 for the Coffin School property: a 56-unit development proposed by North Shore Community Development Coalition and Zeta InSite, and a 41-unit proposal from Harborlight Homes.
Both nonprofit development organizations specialize in affordable housing.
Under the North Shore Community Development Coalition proposal, eight units would be available for home ownership, while the remaining 48 would be rentals.
All 41 units in the Harborlight Homes proposal would be rental housing.
Callahan explained that both proposals target senior housing and seek to preserve much of the existing school building, potentially making the projects eligible for historic tax credits.
Committee members raised questions about ownership of the property’s open space, an issue that has generated considerable discussion during the public comment process over the past year.
“I think one proposal said that we could subdivide the lot and have the town retain that open space portion,” said Callahan. “The other one looked like it would still be open space, open to the public, but still under the ownership of the developer.”
Committee members repeatedly emphasized that the proposals and accompanying designs are conceptual and that no development plan has been finalized.
The Select Board will make the final decision on which developer and plan to move forward with.
Callahan estimated that residents could begin moving into the property sometime in 2032.
Broughton Road project moves toward permitting
The committee also provided an update on the proposed Broughton Road housing development, which is being planned by WinnDevelopment and the Marblehead Housing Authority.
“The town is still working with WinnDevelopment and the Marblehead Housing Authority on the site design. They’ve been working with different departments, Health, DPW, Marblehead Light, Community Development, Building and we’ve been providing them comments on their site design throughout the process. [I] believe they are anticipating submitting their 40B comprehensive permit in February,” Callahan said.
A Chapter 40B comprehensive permit allows qualifying affordable housing developments to seek relief from certain local zoning requirements.
Glover farmhouse development could add 44 units
The committee also discussed a proposal for the historic Gen. John Glover property, located near the point where Marblehead, Salem and Swampscott meet.
The portion of the development in Marblehead would include three buildings with a total of 44 housing units, 11 of which would be designated affordable.
The Marblehead Planning Board needs to review the Glover proposal.
Combined, the three housing projects could bring an estimated 140 to 160 units to Marblehead, according to Callahan. Of those, approximately 111 would qualify as affordable housing.
The additions could increase Marblehead’s Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) from its current 3.84% to an estimated 5.1%.
“That’s a pretty good jump for the town of Marblehead that hasn’t had any movement in quite a while,” said Callahan. “It’s nowhere near the 10% ‘safe harbor’ number that the towns are targeting. I think, overall, for development in the town of Marblehead, that has limited land to develop, that’s a pretty good increase, not only for total units, but total affordable housing units for the town of Marblehead.”
Under Massachusetts law, communities generally gain greater authority to deny certain Chapter 40B developments when at least 10% of their housing units qualify for the state’s Subsidized Housing Inventory.
The Housing Committee is scheduled to meet again Tuesday, Dec. 8, at Abbot Hall.
