Workforce Housing. The legislators in Concord passed it, now the Towns have to deal with it and Londonderry is no exception.
The Planning Board, Town Council, and other Boards and taskforces have been discussing Workforce Housing for months, by some estimates years. The latest group to enter into the discussion is the Elder Affairs Committee as well as a number of Senior Citizens in Londonderry.
The center of the issue. The Town Council asked the Planning Board to lower the maximum number of units per building from 24 to 16. This request was made after numerous citizens asked that the units be reduced. The Town lawyer said the only way that could be done is if the units were lowered in all zones in Town.
One of those zones includes Elderly Housing.
The Seniors in Town have been hoping for affordable elderly housing in town for years. A number of proposals have come up and all have failed for one reason or another. The latest proposal is to build an elderly housing development on Sanborn Road. The latest proposal seems to be the closest to succeeding, since the Town is donating the land therefore lowering the cost of the initial build.
The Seniors also want to maximize the number of units built. The problem lies in that if Workforce Housing is reduced to 16 units Elderly Housing is also reduced.
There are a few possibilities to increase the units in elderly housing. One possibility is getting an exception from the ZBA, the Planning Board is looking into other options.
Needless to say the workforce housing saga continues here in Londonderry.
What say you. Cast your vote and/or leave a comment below. You may choose three options.
Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.The discussion will continue at the July 14th Londonderry Planning Board Meeting.