The Charles River Center is planning to build 86 new housing units to help serve people with developmental disabilities such as autism on its East Militia Heights property. The organization is seeking $3.5 million in town Community Preservation Act funding to support the $50 million project.
Anne-Marie Bajwa, president and CEO of the nonprofit, which works to empower individuals with developmental disabilities, described the project at the Feb. 12 Community Preservation Committee meeting. Bajwa and other leaders of the project said it will be the first of its kind in Massachusetts.
CRC is partnering with the Planning Office for Urban Affairs, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. POUA focuses on affordable housing and economic development, having developed nearly 3,000 units of housing across 31 communities, with investments exceeding $660 million.
The project will feature four buildings, anchored by a 67,000 square foot, three-story building with 68 affordable housing units — 15 studios, 43 one-bedroom units and 10 two-bedroom units. Three separate 4,000 square foot, one-story buildings will each contain six studio units.
In addition to providing housing, the completed project is anticipated to provide services in college navigation, career support, adult companionship, as well as necessary transportation assistance via bus. Bajwa said this transportation assistance is vital for integrating disabled individuals into the community. The goal for integration will also include plans to use the space for certain communitywide functions.
“There’s not another development like this, to this level of integration,” Bajwa said.
Hilary Ryan, vice president of development for the Charles River Center, said the team has been and will continue reaching out to abutters of the property, including those who live around Dwight Road, Central Avenue and Sunrise Terrace, as well as with the nearby North Hill and Babson College campuses.
The Charles River Center acquired the property, a former military installation that was once home to Nike missile silos, for a reported $5 million at auction in March 2023.
“We thought long and hard about what we could possibly do with the land,” Bajwa said, describing the process that started when the Army announced the property would be put up for sale. A subcommittee was formed, and now their project mission is clear: provide inclusive housing and a full spectrum of support services.
There will be challenges with the project, Ryan said, that community members have noted. “There are traffic concerns, as well as drainage and (stormwater) concerns,” she said. “We did mail out to over 200 residents basic correspondence about the project.”
The project’s design calls for a zero-emissions development, using solar panels for electric generation. For this aspect, Bajwa said the team has been in contact with a sustainability consultant. Communication, she said, has been consistent throughout the course of the project, whether with neighbors, design experts or autism advocacy groups.
The CRC receives operational funding from the Department of Developmental Services, although another main contributor has been Medicaid, said Bajwa.
In addition to private fundraising, the CRC will also be seeking development funds from the various affordable housing programs administered by the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
“I think it’s a huge community asset,” added Adam Block, the Planning Board’s designee to the CPC, in discussion during the recent CPC meeting.
Reg Foster, chair of the Needham Housing Authority and a member of the CPC, also expressed general appreciation for the kind of work the Charles River Center has been involved with and the upcoming project. The NHA is also seeking funding from many of the same EOHLC programs as it seeks to redevelop nearly all of its more than 300 housing units over the next several years.
The NHA initially applied for $5.6 million in CPC funds in this year’s funding round, but that amount may be changed as the NHA responds to a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ruling that could require the NHA to revise its development plan and schedule.
In terms of the project’s timeline and next steps, Bajwa said a capital campaign is set to be started for the next year to gain funds for the technical aspects of the design. “There’s some unique designs when you talk about folks with autism,” she noted.
According to the presented timeline, if funding is granted according to schedule, construction could be completed by 2028.
Bajwa said the group is proud of the work they’ve been able to accomplish thus far in serving the community. According to the CDC, autism diagnosis rates have risen significantly over the past decade. With rates rising, Bajwa said, it’s important to cultivate a space that offers individual services to foster their independence.
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