A "Luxury" 40B in Southborough?
Moss hopes to build an affordable apartment complex on this piece of land behind a Gulf station. The parcel is tucked away between Route 9 and industrial properties on Crystal Pond Drive.
Bob Moss, of Westborough-based Moss Development Inc., hopes to ease the widespread distrust of 40B projects with his Madison Place proposal in Southborough. Moss' project would work to help the community reach the required 10 percent affordable housing mark while providing new, desirable housing opportunities.
The proposal has not yet been approved, but Moss is optimistic. He sees this as "a good opportunity to get Southborough to that 10 percent." He added, "It takes a lot of housing units to get there."
Moss's optimism for the proposal's acceptance comes in the belief that "what [he is] proposing is actually needed in the community," he said. He sees the location for the proposal as a strong point and instrumental to the plan's success.
Because most 40B projects are not often well-received by communities, Moss based the proposal on his belief that the "most important thing is to pick a location that would be as acceptable for community as possible - one that would be viewed as a good location for this type of project." And he sees the Route 9 and Crystal Pond Road site suitable.
The proposal calls for 140 new units within eleven two to three story buildings. 25 percent of the units would be priced at affordable rates, which are classified as able to be bought or rented by a household earning 80 percent of the community's median income. Moss says that the buildings will be very similar to the existing Madison Place complex in Shrewsbury. "The level of finish is the nicest of anything west of Boston," he said. "We've added offices, made the units bigger, and upgraded their finish…to put them at a luxury level."
Southborough has been very receptive of Moss' proposal thus far. The town has recognized its need for rental housing in the form of this 40B application, and Moss hopes to assist them in reaching their goal. "Some towns are more progressive than others," he said. "It's been a pleasure working with Southborough so far on approvals. They're very professional, and the process going very nicely."
The MetroWest Daily News reported this month that Moss and town officials have been negotiating a payment to reduce the impact of the project.
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