SOMERS, CT — A plan to add 20 affordable rentals next to Woodcrest is moving beyond the idea stage following an initial review by the state.
Connecticut Department of Housing officials have invited the Somers Housing Authority to continue through the application process, according to minutes from the authority's Aug. 19 meeting.
The proposal calls for 20 units on about five acres of town-owned land next to the existing Woodcrest complex on Battle Street. Housing commissioners unanimously agreed in May to submit an initial application for the project.
There is still a long way to go before anything is built. The state has not awarded funding, the Housing Authority does not yet control the proposed site and preliminary drawings have not been completed.
Housing Authority Chairman David Pinney was scheduled to meet with town staff Aug. 20 to discuss an option agreement covering the transfer of the land. The authority is also preparing to seek qualifications from architects interested in drawing up an initial design.
The proposal is being pursued through the state's Small Housing Authority Rental Expansion program, known as SHARE.
The program offers grants to public housing authorities in communities with no more than 50,000 residents. It is limited to new rental developments containing 20 units or fewer, including duplexes, triplexes, four-unit buildings, cottage clusters and townhouses.
The state reviews proposals through an early assessment process and helps applicants identify possible financing. Housing authorities must own or have control of their proposed construction sites before they can qualify for funding.
Woodcrest's two existing phases contain 146 affordable apartments, including 78 ranch-style units and 68 units in two-story buildings. The complex serves adults age 62 and older as well as people with disabilities, according to the Somers Housing Authority.
Town officials have referred to the proposed addition as Woodcrest Phase III. The Housing Authority has not released an estimated cost, construction timetable or eligibility rules for the new units.
For more Northern Connecticut news, follow Patch editor Jay Kenney.
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