Rowley voters allocate $500,000 to Windward Crossing

ROWLEY — In addition to passing a $27 million budget at town meeting, Rowley residents voted to allocate $500,000 to Windward Crossing, an affordable housing project on Route 1. 

Windward Crossing, which is slated to go across from Rowley Marketplace, will include 20 affordable rental units for seniors aged 62 and older, a five-person group home for adults with developmental delays, private residences, and a community center open to all Rowley residents.

The development group Harborlight Homes requested the $500,000 from the town’s community preservation fund for its senior building and group home.

The community preservation fund, which raises money by adding a surcharge of up to three percent on property taxes, is designated for affordable housing, open-space protection (including recreation), and historic preservation.

Rowley has about $392,000 in the affordable housing “bucket” and a “large amount” in unreserved funds, CPA administrator Karen O’Donnell said.

“There’s money in the fund to afford this project,” she said. “It is a very healthy fund right now.”

Harborlight previously asked for community preservation funds last year, but the request was included in an article that failed at town meeting. 

The request, which was for $800,000 to fund both the trust and Windward Crossing, got caught up in the MBTA (3A) zoning article and an ongoing 40B project in town, O’Donnell said. 

This year, Harborlight asked for the funds directly from the community preservation committee. 

Resident Maura Mastrogiovanni said that the town passed the community preservation act, establishing the funds, with this exact problem in mind.

“We knew that there was going to be a lack of housing for seniors,” she said. “I’m really excited to say we did some forward thinking back in 2001 and it’s coming to fruition now.”

A need for senior housing

There is a real need for senior housing in Rowley, according to Ethan Young, a member of the housing partnership committee. 

As of Monday morning, there were 23 Rowley seniors on the waitlist for the housing authority units at Plantation Drive, he said. Many are at risk of being priced out of town, he added.

Windward Crossing will provide a rare opportunity for truly affordable housing, Young said. Of the 20 senior units, 15 will be available to seniors earning under 30% of area median income, which is $34,400.

“This project respects our elders,” Young said. “Windward Crossing helps longtime Rowley residents age in place near family, friends, and familiar surroundings.”

Charlie Costello, who serves on the town’s affordable housing trust board, said up to 70% of the units can be available for town residents, so long as the state agrees.

The state will consider whether Rowley contributed funds to the project when determining that percentage, he said. The state likes to see town support, he added.

Costello said Harborlight recently completed a very similar project in Wenham, and it now houses the parents of firefighters and police officers in that town. Windward Crossing could do the same thing for Rowley, he suggested.

A community partner

Project manager Pat Connolly told residents that Harborlight Homes is a long-term partner and chooses to pay full real estate taxes as part of its commitment to its communities. 

“By paying taxes over the years, we’ll be refunding some of this money each year as a portion of the taxes are allocated into the [community preservation] fund,” he said.

The project is estimated to cost nearly $20 million. By paying real estate taxes, Harborlight will be contributing a significant amount of revenue to the town, Costello said.

“Between the land and the building, we’re going to get a very nice piece of annual tax revenue, which is something we all like to see,” he said. 

Harborlight will additionally cover all of the costs for maintenance and repairs, meaning this project will have no ongoing cost to the town, Young said.

Rowley also effectively gets a community center “at no cost,” Connolly said, which will have programming provided by the Cusack family’s nonprofit, Windward Sails Charitable Foundation.

The community center will house a teaching kitchen, a coffee bar, a yoga and fitness space, and art activities, according to the town meeting warrant.

“I don’t know about you, but a community center for $500,000 seems like a drop in the bucket,” resident Phil Towne said. “I think this is such a great thing.” 

After the article passed, a loud round of applause erupted from the audience.

Connolly said Harborlight aims to start construction this year.