NORTH ANDOVER — Open houses, building tours and neighborhood chats worked to sway residents to support transforming an old nursing home into 42 apartments.
Town Meeting voted Tuesday night to give $1.3 million in community preservation money toward Stevens Corner a year after voting down a proposal to give $1 million to the same project.
North Andover Housing Partnership Committee Chairman George Koehler said the difference at this year's Town Meeting was that the project owner — Neighborhood of Affordable Housing — had spent a year working with neighbors and the town on how to fit the project in with the community. It is converting the former Greenery nursing home into housing.
"They were able to show that ultimately they will put in a good project," Koehler said. "Over the long haul, this is a good project and will be an asset to the town."
Neighborhood of Affordable Housing held open houses and gave tours of the buildings, met with neighbors, and talked with the town to answer questions and develop a project that would be accepted.
Neighbor Jim Lafond said at Tuesday's Town Meeting that Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, a nonprofit housing corporation, had stepped up to take a site that had been abandoned and deteriorating, and turn it into something that could benefit the community.
"I believe we are stepping forward to meet a need in North Andover," Lafond said.
Not all neighbors were convinced. Some said they were still worried about all the extra traffic and the children that would be added to the school system.
But the Board of Selectmen, the Finance Committee and the Planning Board supported the project.
"I think the discussion is a moral question," said selectmen Chairman Mark Caggiano. "North Andover has money to be used for purposes of affordable housing."
Community preservation money comes from a 3 percent surcharge on property taxes and part of that money has to be designated for affordable housing. The state has been matching town funds 100 percent, although that amount is expected to decrease. More than $1 million has been set aside for affordable housing and will now go to the Stevens Corner project.
Koehler said the project will help the town move closer to the 10 percent of affordable housing required by the state. But he said the town is still a long way off from meeting its affordable housing needs. Thirty-two of the 42 apartments will be affordable.
"You have to do it one unit at a time, one project at a time," he said.
Koehler said the town has 6 percent of the required 10 percent affordable housing, although some other affordable housing projects have been proposed. Koehler said although the state requires 10 percent of a town's housing to be affordable, the need in North Andover is closer to 30 percent.
The building was identified by the town as a good place for affordable housing after The Greenery was closed four years ago. The town's affordable housing plan said the spot is good for affordable housing because it is in an existing building that is near schools and downtown.
Plans for the building include seven one-bedroom apartments, 30 two-bedroom apartments and five three-bedroom apartments.
Philip Giffee, executive director of Neighborhood of Affordable Housing, said it will be at least two years before construction is completed and people move in. The next step is to go for state funding for the rest of the $10.2 million needed for the project.
Giffee said he will continue to work with the town and neighbors as the project goes forward.
Stevens Corner at a glance
Address: 75 Park St.
Total cost: $10 million
Community preservation contribution: $1.3 million
Number of apartments: 42
Number that are affordable: 32
Number of parking spaces: 84
