Beverly, Mass. - Neighbors expressed their opposition yesterday to the Beverly Housing Authority's plan to build two affordable houses next to the Montserrat train station, but officials said the project needs no approvals and will proceed as scheduled.
The Housing Authority plans to build a pair of two-family homes on land the authority bought from the MBTA in 2002 for $10. The authority already has a single-family home on the site, which is at the corner of Essex and Spring streets.
Housing Authority officials have touted the project as its first new construction in more than 20 years and a chance to provide affordable housing for four families, including a disabled military veteran.
But neighbors said the plan will cram three buildings into a small lot at a dangerous intersection, creating safety problems while also lowering their property values.
"This is an incredibly small piece of land to have maybe 10 kids living in at an extremely busy intersection," said Colon Street resident John Hall, one of eight neighbors who attended a meeting at the Housing Authority's office to discuss the project.
Attorney Tom Alexander, who is representing the Housing Authority, said the project falls within the city's zoning rules and requires no further approval by city boards.
The two new homes, plus repairs to the existing one, will cost $1.27 million. It will be funded by a variety of federal, state and local sources, including the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the city of Beverly, and the North Shore Home Consortium.
The Beverly Housing Authority manages 650 subsidized units at 12 locations, but Beverly Housing Authority Executive Director Kevin Ascolillo said building new homes is a "unique first-time opportunity."
"This isn't conventional public housing," he said.
Ascolillo said the Housing Authority will use the rent money generated by the houses to maintain the buildings. He said the authority will take in about $1,500 per month in rent for each unit. Rents will be subsidized, so the tenants will not pay the full amount.
Neighbors said they were worried that children living in the new houses would be endangered by traffic, and that cars backing out of the driveways would cause a hazard.
"That intersection is very hairy and dangerous," Lowell Street resident Catherine Barrett said.
Essex Street resident Tom Grondin said the project will hurt property values in the Montserrat neighborhood.
"That was the most elite area of the city 25, 30 years ago," he said. "It's not that way anymore."
Neighbors expressed frustration that they were not included earlier in the planning for the project, which Alexander said has been in the works since 2008.
"It's a pretty lousy way to welcome yourself to the neighborhood," Hall told the officials.
Ascolillo said officials would consider the neighbors' suggestion to build a fence around the property to protect children living there. But, pointing to the architects' plans, he said, "This is basically what you're going to see."
Ascolillo said construction will begin in the fall.
Staff writer Paul Leighton can be reached at (978) 338-2675 or pleighton@salemnews.com.