The Town has been notified by the state Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) that adequate progress has not been made on the Lincoln Park 40R development and the Town will forfeit the $300,000 grant that was provided. The Executive Administrator is seeking an extension of the three year time frame for progress on the plan so the town will not have to repay the DCHD grant.
The developers of the Lincoln Park project recently submitted revised plans for review by town departments. These plans call for 57 single family homes ...
...on the southern part of the site, none of which would be affordable as defined by the DHCD. The developers are seeking to have the DHCD approve a phased plan where affordable housing apartments would be constructed by the developers at a later date. That DHCD approval of that plan has not occurred as far as I am aware.
Read more on the history of the Lincoln Park development at these links
http://dartmouthhitcingpost.blogspot.com/2009/12/lincoln-park-district-and-eminent.html
http://dartmouthhitcingpost.blogspot.com/2008/10/lincoln-park-development-in-news.html
http://dartmouthhitcingpost.blogspot.com/2008/07/lincoln-park-project-redux.html
http://dartmouthhitcingpost.blogspot.com/2008/07/lincoln-park-project.html
As I have noted before, the Town does have some recourse in the eventuality that the grant must be refunded. "Since the town is under obligation under Chapter 40R to produce affordable housing by April 2010, the following schedule is required of the developer by the permitting authority.
By May 1, 2009. the developer must submit application for Phase 2 development to contain at least 16 dwelling units.
By Sept 1, 2009, the developer must obtain approval from the permitting authority for Phase 2,
By January 15, 2010, the developer must obtain a building permit for the dwellings.
Failure to meet this time line allows the town to seek relief under Mass General Law Chapter 40A or Chapter 40R or the permitting authority may elect to require the developer to convey one acre of the property to the Dartmouth Housing Authority or other designee to allow them to obtain a permit for Building H on that acre."
However these remedies are not a particularly desirable outcome. Rather I would like to see the developers continue with the development.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Lincoln Park development update
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7 comments:
This project has been a bad idea since day 1. The "developers" are well connected in this town and I believe that to be the only reason this project still has a pulse. The economy dictates that the project simply is not viable at this time. Nor in the foreseeable future. The general reasons that this property has been vacant for over 2 decades are also obvious. Development as either a commercial or a real estate project has made no sense to the many people who must have looked at it. The last thing this area needs is some failed development that falls into chapter 11. And that is where it would likely go.
Does Dartmouth have the #300,000 grant money incase it has to be paid back????
Mr. Cressman, our Executive Administrator, informed me last night that DHCD has granted an extension for the grant for two years. We will not have to repay the grant until then. Which is fortunate as the town does not have the money set aside to repay the grant
Bill,
How could the town not prepare themselves for an instance such as this? To me, it seems like buying something on credit with an existing knowledge that you do not have the money to pay it back when the time comes.
Just like parents spoiling their kids. Tell them one thing, then ignore what you say and let them get away with not taking responsibility and following the rules.
Maybe the town should have been made to pay back the $300,000. Sounds like there are no consequences for not following the rules. Here we've got a state agency that is enabling the town to drag its feet and not have to pay up for it when the deadline comes by, basically, allowing the town to get away with its noncompliance.
No wonder there is no accountability. What a joke.
Let's try that when we don't want to pay our February 1st taxes, shall we?
I predict 2 years from now we will be in a position of having to repay this money. It would be wise to budget for it!
It would have been wiser to put the $300,000 in an account and make interest on it just in case it didn't work out. Which it did not.
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