[BRATTLEBORO, VT]: The Brattleboro Housing Authority (BHA), at a meeting today with officials from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and representatives of Vermont’s Congressional delegation, described substantial progress in creating new affordable apartments to replace the senior public housing at Melrose Terrace damaged by Tropical Storm Irene.
“With the help of Housing Vermont, our development partner, we’re well into the predevelopment phase,” said BHA Executive Director Chris Hart.
Housing Vermont secured an option on the 2.8-acre site at 464 Canal Street in July.
“This site has many advantages, including its proximity to a grocery store, pharmacy and the hospital,” said Kathy Beyer, Housing Vermont’s Director of Development. “Our goal is to create convenient, attractive, and affordable housing for the residents. Just as important, however, is to recreate the same sense of community that residents enjoyed at Melrose Terrace,” Beyer said.
Plans for the new housing, known as Red Clover Commons, are being prepared by Gossens Bachman Architects of Montpelier.
Tentative plans call for 55 apartments, a community room with warming kitchen, community garden space, and space for the SASH health program as well as an on-site manager. Hart emphasized that the design team and developers will be asking for input from the Melrose Terrace residents and the broader community.
“Red Clover Commons starts with a blank piece of paper,” said Hart. “Connections with residents and the community will help us design and construct attractive, efficient housing which responds to the needs of the current Melrose Terrace tenants as well as future residents,” she said.
The developers intend to begin the local permit process in November with the first funding applications to follow in a few months. The Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development has included a $5 million allocation for the Brattleboro Housing Authority in its request to HUD for Tropical Storm Irene disaster recovery efforts. If the funds are awarded, they will be used to purchase and construct Red Clover Commons as permanent replacement housing for Melrose Terrace. Much of Melrose Terrace is located in the floodway and the site is no longer considered appropriate for seniors and people with disabilities.
“While we do not underestimate the challenges we will face in developing Red Clover Commons,” Hart said. “We are truly excited about the prospect of creating first-rate, well-designed housing for the Melrose Terrace residents.”
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Housing Vermont, a nonprofit syndication and development company founded in 1988, creates permanently affordable rental housing for Vermonters through partnerships with local organizations, public agencies and the private sector. This highly successful partnership has produced more than 4,800 affordable apartments in 155 developments. Housing Vermont has raised and deployed more than $255 million in private equity which has leveraged an additional $352 million in private financing and public investment. Housing Vermont’s New Markets Tax Credit program has invested more than $22 million in seven economic development projects in low income areas.
The Brattleboro Housing Authority provides affordable rental housing through 307 apartments owned and operated by BHA as well as tenant-based and project-based Section 8 rental assistance programs. BHA also operates a comprehensive system of supportive services.
Christine Hart, Brattleboro Housing Authority, (802) 254-6071, chhart@sover.net
Thanks for the update
I had no news about this.
The location
Planning
It isn’t completely a blank sheet of paper… : )
“Tentative plans call for 55 apartments, a community room with warming kitchen, community garden space, and space for the SASH health program as well as an on-site manager.”
But is is good that current tenants will be involved in planning the new facility. It will be quite a challenge to pull all the ideas together as well as deal with funding requirements and standards. I always have hopes that new projects like this will invite creative, innovative, and gorgeous results.
I’d like everyone currently at Melrose to feel like they got something much better for their move. Not having the Whetstone come through the back door will be a perk. I hope we exceed that and make a place everyone would like to move to.
que sera, sera
I’ll be happy when I see the request for plans and input from residents in re: Red Clover. There is still so much sorting out to do, and this is not the only development that will be needed to rehouse the current Melrose tenants. This will also not be BHA owned, and not HUD owned either, so getting section 8 vouchers for all the tenants who’ll move to RC is a very big deal. And the other development (for 25-30 apartments, as I’ve heard) is a question mark. Nobody knows who’ll go where or when. All in good time.
I was present at the meeting.
I was present at the meeting. I hope some of these notes are helpful
This is Phase I of the Redevelopment. It was originally intended to be 35-40 units but the size of the parcel and the $5M from VT Community Development Disaster Relief II allowed the project to now become 55-60 units.
There will be space for SASH, property manager, gardens, community dining room with warming kitchen.
All units will have rental subsidies.
There will be 55 units in the new building all needing deep rental assistance.
BHA will apply for tenant protection vouchers for all Melrose tenants. The exact number will be determined by how many actual tenants are in occupancy at the time of HUD approval for the disposition.
Some of the BHA vouchers can be used in the new building as Project Based Vouchers. The remaining units will be RAD, HUD’s new Rental Assistance Demonstration program.
The site itself is within a block of Rescue, three blocks of hospital, across the street from Price Chopper, within walking distance of three pharmacies, on the bus line, on town water and sewer. And it was identified as the preferred site by residents in a stakeholder survey that was conducted by Kennedy School graduate students. It was also the unanimous first choice of the Site Analysis study which involved numerous residents and community members.
It will be a 3 story building with elevators, and one section having a parking garage underneath. The main entrance to the site will be on Fairground Road with secondary access from Canal Street.
They will be mostly one bedroom units, maybe 2-3 two bedroom units, no efficiencies. It will meet all new standards for energy efficiency as adopted by the state last year, and all new standards for fair housing and accessibility. If possible they will consider some solar applications.
The question of what happens to the existing Melrose units was discussed. The disposition application will remove them from the public housing inventory and may open up the possibility of nonprofit/private/etc ownership and management. No federal dollars will be allowed to be spent at Melrose Terrace unless the flood hazard area is addressed.
Meetings are on going with Historical Preservation, ANR, and others. Stevens and Associates, a local engineering/architectural company has been working on possible alternatives for flood mitigation at Melrose. There may be a possibility of the removal of 20 units, bridge work, stream alternation. There is a definite desire to keep the units in the Brattleboro housing stock but this is long range.
This is a very difficult and lengthy process.