SWAMPSCOTT — The Zoning Board of Appeals gave the go-ahead to the long-debated Elm Place Chapter 40B affordable housing development on Monday night, clearing the way for construction on the 114-unit complex to begin construction early next year, developer WinnCompanies said in a statement.
The proposal had faced repeated sharp criticism from residents and town officials before finally winning approval. WinnCompanies had originally proposed a 128-unit complex with 108 parking spaces and a “modern” design before amending the design last June. In that proposal, the company proposed 120 units and up to 124 parking spaces with a “New England coastal” architectural style that better matched the design language of the town.
The 114-unit proposal that garnered approval this week was submitted to the ZBA in May and features 131 parking spaces across two lots. The new proposal also increased the easement for the Rail Trail to 25 feet.
After learning of the newly proposed changes, the ZBA indicated in a straw poll at its last public hearing that the proposal was going to be approved.
“We thank the ZBA and its experts for endorsing our proposal to bring well-planned, much-needed, transit-oriented affordable housing to Swampscott,” WinnCompanies CEO Gilbert Winn said in a statement. “Although navigating this process for more than 18 months has been difficult and costly, patience and perseverance ultimately resulted in a collaborative development strategy that has earned Town support. We look forward to completing the financing process by the end of the year and beginning construction on Elm Place sometime in the first half of 2023.”
The developers intend to rent 42 percent of the complex’s units at “affordable” market rates, though all 114 units will count towards the town’s total affordable housing figure, due to state regulations concerning Chapter 40B developments. Under state rules, if at least 25 percent of units are occupied by income-eligible households earning 80 percent or less than the area median income, then all the units in the development qualify toward the town’s total, which currently sits at 3.7 percent.
That figure sits well below the 10 percent mandated by the state — though the developers behind the Elm Place project say a December 2020 count showed that the development would bring the city’s total up to 5.51 percent.
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected].
