Avon Select Board Reviews 36-Unit Central Street Affordable Housing Proposal

AVON — November 30, 2021 — Avon Select Board takes a first look at a proposed 36-unit rental development at 188 Central Street. Applicant Brian Campbell, represented by consultant Paul Hussein of Dolphin Associates and special counsel Brian Winner of Tower Minnie Costa, presented plans for three new residential buildings on the 6.46-acre site, which already holds 14 units across three structures. The team is pursuing a friendly Chapter 40B application through the state's Local Initiative Program, which would require a Select Board letter of support before going to the state Department of Housing and Community Development and ultimately to the Zoning Board of Appeals for permitting. Nine of the 36 proposed units would be set aside as affordable, with income limits for a family of four currently around $79,900 — a figure Hussein called widely misunderstood, saying "this is not low-income housing." The full 36 rental units, not just the affordable set-aside, would count toward the town's state-mandated 10-percent subsidized housing inventory goal. No vote was taken; the board scheduled a follow-up session for December 9 at 5:30 p.m.