'These are your neighbors': 120-unit 'workforce housing' project in Somerset taking shape

SOMERSET — Calls for affordable housing are nothing new as demand is outweighing supply and markets are at record-breaking highs. Working professionals, young people yearning to live independently, and folks looking to downsize are groups that surface in talks of housing shortages across the commonwealth — and in towns like Somerset.

For developer Marc Landry, this problem deserves a bold solution.

The Fairfield Commons plaza at 602 Grand Army of the Republic Highway boasts several popular commercial franchises and Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites — all Landry’s doing.

Now, nearly four years since the Marriott’s opening, he’s laying the foundation of a third installment on five acres identified as “the perfect spot for affordable housing”: the Residences at Slade Farm.

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120 new apartment units coming to Somerset

The Residences at Slade Farm housing complex coming to Fairfield Commons will have 120 units; 30 of them are designated workforce housing units, and the other 90 will be listed at market rate.

“They’re all furnished and built to the exact same quality,” Landry explained.

More than half the units are one-bedrooms — 68, to be exact — joined by 44 two-bedroom units with a sprinkling of 12 three-bedroom units. Three of those 12 units are allocated for what Landry called “workforce housing,” an acknowledgment of the confounding variations of what is deemed "affordable" as the housing crisis continues to breed concern.

A total of 30 units are reserved for folks who earn up to 80% or less than the area median income, as defined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, an unrealized figure dependent on the size of one’s household.

Approximately 25% of the units are considered “workforce,” with 21 of those units slotted for applicants working, living or studying in Somerset.

“That’s a police officer. It's a schoolteacher. It's an assistant manager of a bank, or someone who works at a hotel,” Landry said.

“We see it as a place for people to downsize,” Landry added. This includes people who are just starting out, empty-nesters, self-described young professionals, people who work in town government or are involved in the school district. “I would imagine that a lot of market-rate and workforce housing will be occupied by people who already live in Somerset. These are your neighbors.”

How Somerset's project fits into Chapter 40B housing rules

“It’s not government housing, and it’s not low-income housing,” Landry said, conveying that a 40B permit is precisely unique in all its levers and incentives.

Casually regarded as a program that allows developers to flex zoning bylaws to increase the density of affordable homes in municipalities across Massachusetts, the state's Chapter 40B statute makes housing an option — alongside, but not synonymous with, subsidized housing. It also establishes a degree of permanence when it comes to housing opportunities.

“Those 30 units will always be available,” Landry confirmed, stating that the workforce housing units will bear the stipulations around income limits indefinitely. “It can't be changed in the construction phase or after.”

New 40B construction must be situated on a major roadway; residents shall have access to public transportation, and grocery stores and pharmacies must fall within walking distance of their address.

“The site checked all the boxes,” Landry said, maintaining that private equity and private lending is solely responsible for bringing this build to fruition.

“I’m happy. I’m happy we were able to employ so many local businesspeople, local tradespeople, and local suppliers,” Landry said, citing the vertical progress of the residences so far.

Projects involving Chapter 40B are sanctioned and administered under the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, an agency that strives to make housing more affordable across Massachusetts. In particular, the office encourages all towns and cities to meet a threshold of at least 10% subsidized housing inventory. Somerset’s inventory is at 3.64%.

“It's so needed,“ Landry said.

Considering a move? Here’s what to expect.

The anticipated amenities at Slade Farm are bound to entice. Among those Landry mentioned: a fitness center, an outdoor patio, plus a community room geared toward hosting a space conducive to work-from-home employees. There will be two buildings — one housing 65 units and the other 55 — each stacked four stories high. Residences will be ADA-accessible and -compliant.

Those interested should expect an extensive application process, and those keen to snag a workforce unit will be entered in a lottery and vetted on the basis that a unit adequately meets an applicant’s needs.

More information about the application process is forthcoming, and Landry said he hopes to roll out the application itself in less than a year. Construction is expected to wrap up by the end of next year, with 2025 also welcoming a new restaurant to the central commercial space between the Marriot and the in-progress Residences at Slade Farm.

“The number of people who have reached out, people who want to know more about it, who are very interested in living there,“ Landry recalled, “is incredible.“

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Somerset apartments: 120 workforce housing, market-rate units coming