HYANNIS – Plans for a new 8-unit, mixed income community in Hyannis are being considered by Barnstable Planning Board.
Officials with the Housing Assistance Corporation went before the board requesting approval for The Lofts at 57, a 6,500 total square foot development to be located on Ridgewood Avenue, near the Hyannis Transportation Center.
The proposal calls for two one-bedroom units which would be offered at an affordable rate, while the other six would go at market rates.
While many of the residents in attendance at last month’s meeting supported the idea of redevelopment at the long abandoned property, a few were concerned about another tax-exempt development in the community.
“I’ve been looking at that God-awful foundation for years. It’s an eyesore,” said Hyannis resident and Hyannis Fire District Chairman Peter Cross, “Hyannis is sinking, slowly but surely, under the weight of nonprofits. We can’t afford to keep doing that, the people in the nine square miles of Hyannis cannot continue to finance HAC.”
According to Barnstable Planning and Development Director Elizabeth Jenkins, the development would, in fact be eligible for a tax exemption.
Planning Board member Fred LaSelva said that he was a fan of the proposal, “But what I don’t like is the fact that I have to subsidize you. The town of Hyannis should draw a line in the sand, and the line in the sand is this property.”
About CapeCod.com NewsCenter
