CAMBRIDGE — A new affordable housing project on busy Hespeler Road is the first to take advantage of the city’s new incentives for low-cost homes.
Councillors voted in favour of a five-storey, 34-unit apartment building at 175 Hespeler Rd. at a planning committee meeting Tuesday.
The vote in favour came a month after council approved a new affordable housing plan to provide incentives to builders such as waived application fees.
“I think what we’ve seen here tonight is a good template for future projects,” Coun. Nicholas Ermeta said.
The half-acre lot is just south of Munch Avenue and is close to public transit, major roads, shopping and recreation — just the recipe the city looks for from such projects.
So far, planning application fees amounting to $20,000 have been waived for this project, according to a staff report.
As part of the city’s new incentive tools, new low-cost housing projects will not need to pay planning and building fees, and development charges will be waived for 20 years.
Projects will also get tax breaks.
The developer, Home Concept Property Management, is affiliated with a local non-profit housing provider called Housing Cambridge. It has nine other properties.
It asked council for a zoning change as well as reduced parking spaces and setbacks.
At a public meeting in May, nearby property owners were worried about the lack of parking spaces on site.
Suzanne Swanton, a consultant for Housing Cambridge, said people who seek affordable housing typically have low rates of vehicle ownership, which is why the developer is asking for only 19 spaces.
“There’s access to frequent transit,” she said. “There is no car ownership expected from 19 of the units and low rates for the other 15 units.”
In Cambridge, there is a 1,200-family wait-list for affordable housing. About 40 per cent are families with children and another 40 per cent are single adults.
Rental rates for 175 Hespeler Rd. will be below market averages, with 14 one-bedroom apartments at $510 a month and 17 at $680 a month.
Two-bedroom units will rent at about $798 per month, according to a staff report.
Coun. Jan Liggett said she was happy with changes made to the proposal, specifically the addition of a rooftop terrace and an outdoor patio.
“We tend to forget when people are of low income that they have the same desires as the rest of us and quality of life is important to everybody,” she said. “I’m hopeful going forward that every other project will also address those things.”
The project still needs to get final approval from council next week.