Hamilton Planning Board Approves Willow Street Affordable Housing Design Changes

HAMILTON — November 17, 2020 — Hamilton Planning Board unanimously approves Willow Street affordable housing design changes, hears senior housing pitch. The board voted 6-0 Tuesday to approve a minor site plan amendment for the mixed-use project at 59-63 Willow Street, developed by Tradeworth Companies LLC, contingent on the building's roofline meeting the height approved in the original permit — after member Bill Wheaton flagged a potential discrepancy between drawings showing 37 feet 5.5 inches and an earlier figure of 35 feet 8 inches. The project recently secured a $1.7 million Community Scale Housing Initiative award from the state Department of Housing and Community Development. In a pre-application presentation, developer Larry Smith outlined a proposed 50-unit age-restricted condominium development on a 66-acre parcel at 133 Essex Street, projecting $650,000 to $700,000 in annual tax revenue with no school-age population impact; legal counsel Jill Mann said a formal application is expected in February 2021, preceded by an abutter outreach meeting. Board members noted that approving the Essex Street project at 50 units would bring the town's total senior housing count to approximately 85 units against a bylaw cap that members debated as either 100 or 150.