Nahant boards support Coast Guard housing

NAHANT – The majority of the boards in town issued statements of support for an article regarding the future of the former Coast Guard Housing property.An article on the April 26 Town Meeting warrant asks Town Meeting to authorize the Board of Selectmen to issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to develop the 3.5-acre lot on which 12 single-family homes are located.Nahant Town Administrator Mark Cullinan said the town has received letters of support from the Zoning Board of Appeals, Planning Board, Nahant Housing Authority, Community Preservation Committee and Public Lands Committee.Cullinan said a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) has been developed but it would not be issued to pre-qualified developers without Town Meeting approval.”A simple majority vote of Town meeting is required to go forward,” he said. “It is important to let the process continue so we can look at specific proposals.”The draft RFP specifies the town wants to sell the site for a minimum of $2.1 million to a developer for the purpose of housing redevelopment.The 3.5-acre lot is located on Castle Road, Gardner Road and Goddard Drive and 12 single-family homes are currently located on the property. It was sold back to the town by the federal government in January 2005 for $2 million.According to the guidelines in the RFP, all proposals for the site should consist of eight single-family homes and not more than 20 multi-family homes.Cullinan said the RFP specifies the Castle/Gardner Road area should be planned as an area for detached single-family homes so it would blend into the existing neighborhood. He said the Goddard Drive area, which is adjacent to Kelley Greens Golf Course and Bailey’s Hill, should consist of multi-family homes designed to blend in with the neighborhood in terms of design and scale. Cullinan said some of the units would be affordable housing, which he pointed out is not the same as subsidized or low-income housing.Cullinan said if Town Meeting approves issuing the RFP, it is only the first step in the process and approval of the article does not give the town authority to sell the property.Cullinan said if Town Meeting approves issuing an RFP, the next step in the process would be to look at specific proposals, which would be presented to the community at public hearings. He said that stage in the process would be followed by a special Town Meeting, which would be held in September or October, to vote on a proposal.