Building Positive Momentum

EDITORIAL BY ALISA MAGNOTTA

With late spring in full bloom and summer ready to shine, it seems like a good time to take stock In work like ours, with the need for housing so great on the Cape, there’s always so much to do, so much to accomplish. So we often just keep our heads down and push from one project to the next, one hurdle to the next.

And all too often we forget to take time to appreciate the progress we have made, the hard-fought wins on worthy projects come to fruition the positive momentum. Especially since these projects can take years between conception to completion.

This spring, we want to highlight successes on two projects in particular: Brewster Woods in Brewster and LeClair Village in Mashpee.

Brewster Woods, a 30-unit development of low- and moderate-income rentals, is a great example of how small successes add up to a big win. It is one of those that took years from concept to completion for a property set aside for housing in the 1980s the culmination of years of hard work and collaboration between the town of Brewster, the Brewster Housing Authority, Housing Assistance, and Preservation of Affordable Housing Planning and construction began in 2015 when Housing Assistance was awarded the RFP by the town of Brewster. And now, Brewster Woods is fully occupied and includes residents of all ages, from young families to seniors.

In Mashpee, construction is underway on the new LeClair Village, 39 rental apartments named to honor community leader Mary LeClair, a longtime housing champion who has supported Housing Assistance in many ways, including as a longtime board member

These new homes join the more than 550 housing units

Housing Assistance has helped to create.

We’re also seeing inspiring momentum with Housing to Protect Cape Cod, the coalition of local businesses and nonprofits including CapeBuilt, Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, the Home Builders & Remodelers Association of Cape Cod and the Cape Cod & Islands Association of REALTORS®, whose mission is to empower our friends, family and neighbors to take action in their towns to support prohousing policies. Nearly 800 people have signed on to this coalition to speak up for affordable and community housing in towns across the region. Many of those new members have gathered at a variety of events around the Cape to talk about the housing crisis and how they can advocate for change

After the starkness of winter, all of the small changes bursting forth in spring crocuses, daffodils and tulips to cherry blossoms and lilacs seem so visible and noteworthy In contrast so much of the work we do at Housing A change. Bu way are im toward po

Thank you

Alisa Magnotta, CEO

“This is our Covid baby,” Magnotta told the audience at the ribbon cutting ceremony. “Brewster Woods is a testament to the vision and leadership needed from the local and state level, with many partners and funders coming together to make a project like this happen.

“Cape Cod cannot thrive without projects like Brewster Woods,” she added. “The Town of Brewster stands out as a leader in being willing to invest in a collaborative effort to ensure a successful project that serves local residents, and I urge other towns to follow Brewster’s lead.”

Brewster Woods features 8 one-bedroom, 19 twobedroom, and 3 three-bedroom units Its Passive House design focuses on robust insulation and air tightness, high-performing glazing, and simplified mechanical systems to achieve significantly lower energy use, while creating a comfortable and resilient space for residents. The complex also includes offstreet parking, central laundry, tenant storage, on-site management & 24-hour emergency maintenance.

State Sen Julian Cyr (D-Truro), the event’s keynote speaker, also noted that while it was a moment to celebrate, the region is in an ongoing housing crisis that is forcing residents to leave Cape Cod in search of housing they can afford.

“Brewster Woods has changed the lives of the 30 Cape Cod households that now live here, and that’s a wonderful thing,” said Cyr. “Yet Cape Cod’s future as a year-round community is in serious jeopardy The absurd cost of housing on Cape Cod and the Islands is eroding our communities, forcing our workforce to commute from over the bridge and pricing out yearround families.

“We need to build more developments like Brewster Woods, and we need to build them now. The real question is, do we have the fortitude to do what’s needed, to provide dignity, to really live up to the value that housing is a right?”

POAH President and CEO Aaron Gornstein said the housing crisis on the Cape is complex, which requires committed partnerships. “Brewster Woods is a model for how public-private partnerships can work to advance affordable housing,” he said “We are excited to create these much-needed housing opportunities for families in Brewster and in neighboring towns.”

Also speaking at the event were State Rep. Chris Flanagan; Clark Ziegler, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Housing Partnership; and Ned Chatelain of the Brewster Select Board.

Funding sources for the Brewster Woods project included a $1.68 million state MassWorks grant, a $2.4 million loan from Massachusetts Housing Partnership, $7.3 million in Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) equity from Bank of America, a $7 million construction loan from Bank of America, $1 million in Affordable Housing Trust Funds from MassHousing, $1 million in financing from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), $750,000 in local and state HOME funding, and $255,000 in Brewster Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds. The Town of Brewster, through the Brewster Select Board, waived its standard building permit fees for the project.

The general contractor for the Brewster Woods project was Delphi Construction of Mashpee. CC Construction of South Dennis completed the infrastructure improvements prior to the start of construction

Brewster Woods is the most recent POAH-Housing Assistance project to be completed on Cape Cod. The two nonprofits have partnered on nine housing projects over the last 15 years, building a total 214 units to-date. Housing Assistance and POAH have another 126 units in the pipeline, including a 45-unit project proposed for Millstone Road in Brewster. The two nonprofits also are working on LeClair Village Apartments, a 39-unit development in Mashpee.

First Resident of Brewster Woods Happy to Be in New Home

Dottie Anderson can’t remember whether she saw the notice about a lottery for apartments at Brewster Woods in a newspaper or on a flyer at Brewster Town Hall, but she remembers this: “When I saw it, I said, I’ve got to go for it.”

Anderson, 81, not only won a space in the 30-apartment complex, she also was the first resident to move in on Feb. 1. “It was supposed to open last fall, then December, then it went to January, which was making me not nervous, but excited. I couldn’t wait to be there.”

She previously owned a condo at nearby Ocean Edge, but condo fees were squeezing her budget.

“I just want to be able to enjoy the last years of my life,” she said. “Now I pay for my rent and it covers everything except my cable and my groceries. It’s made a big difference. Now if I want to go out and have lunch or dinner with friends, I can do that. I’m not worried about money all the time ”

Her condo faced a parking lot while her Brewster Woods apartment has a quiet, private patio where she said she plans to have a few potted plants. She also enjoys the “huge closet” in the bedroom and other storage space, as well as the brand new appliances. She’s met some of her neighbors – “very nice people,” she said. She plans to grow a few vegetables in a shared garden.

“I encourage anybody who’s eligible to sign up for a housing lottery,” she said “Maybe you’ll be as lucky as I was ”

2nd Annual Housing to Protect Cape Cod Summit

Thursday, October 26

Cape Codder Resort, Hyannis