New apartment building at New Bedford's Temple Landing will have 27 units for seniors
NEW BEDFORD — Construction of a 27-unit apartment building at the Temple Landing housing development was recently given the green light from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The project is one of the first so-called Chapter 40B housing petitions in the city in over a decade.
The building will be four stories high and situated at the corner of Middle and Ash streets, adjacent to the Temple Landing community building.
Cory Fellows, of Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), a non-profit organization based in Boston, told members of the ZBA at recent hearings that the new apartments would be for senior citizens.
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Fellows said it is hoped that seniors currently living in the Temple Landing development, which is open to families of all ages, will choose to move into the new building, thus freeing up some family units in the development.
Sara Kudra, architect with DREAM Collaborative, also based in Boston, described the new apartment building as a four story, wood frame structure. She said of the 27 units, four would be two-bedrooms, and the rest would be one-bedrooms.
Under the state provisions of a Chapter 40B project, the zoning board is the approving authority. While planning boards can offer input, they cannot put any contingencies on such proposals.
Zoning members referred to a letter from the planning board offering input on grading in the proposed parking area, the size of the parking spaces, and its suggestion to install a covered walkway from the parking area to the building’s rear entrance.
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Jennifer Carloni, city planner, reminded the ZBA that it did not have to insist the petitioner include the recommendations made by the planning board.
Fellows said in the many similar projects he has constructed for senior housing, he could not recall any that had a covered walkway.
Debra Trahan, zoning member, suggested that a couple of covered shelters along the way might be possible. She reasoned that some seniors might need to stop and take a break on the walk from their cars to the building and a shelter from the weather would be helpful.
Zoning members took a cue from the planning board and in its approval directed the petitioner to widen the individual parking spaces in the parking area to allow seniors to open their car doors wider if needed.
Temple Landing was at risk of financial insolvency back in 2007. POAH was approached by the property’s owner and original developer about partnering to save the housing then called United Front Homes.
Fellows noted the row-style apartments in the development underwent renovations including exterior painting about a decade ago.
Standard-Times digital producer Linda Roy can be reached at lroy@s-t.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @LindaRoy_SCT. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: 27-unit apartment building for seniors approved in New Bedford
