Historic farmhouse will soon be affordable housing

KENT — Kent Affordable Housing (KAH) held an official “construction kick off” ceremony at the site of the future Stuart Farm Apartments on Maple Street Extension, on Friday, April 20. More than 30 people attended including representatives from most of the organizations which provided financial and other support to the project.Work has already begun on the renovation of an antique farmhouse into five affordable one- and two-bedroom rental apartments. The early stages of site improvements and demolition, foundations and framing are underway.Work on the Stuart Farm residences began about three years ago when the affordable housing group obtained pre-development funding from Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD). These funds were used for site acquisition, architectural and site design, environmental testing and abatement, zoning and other approvals. Stephen Lasar of New Milford is the architect for the project.The Stuart Farm Apartments will be designed to fit in with the ambiance of the town.“It will be unusual for an affordable housing developments,” Kent Affordable Housing President Virginia Bush Suttman said. “It will be smaller than most and will be more like a family compound than an apartment complex.”The 2-acre site, which is a quarter mile from the center of town, was once part of a 200-acre farm that had been owned by several local families. Its history goes back to before the American Revolution, and it is bordered by land preserves on two sides. In 1970 the farm was sold and subdivided. The Stuart Farm site is where the original family farmhouse was located. It is also home to the seventh largest living elm tree in Connecticut.First Selectman Bruce Adams was at the ceremony and said, “When South Commons [a Kent Affordable Housing 24-unit rental apartment complex in Kent] was first proposed, I was not a big supporter of the concept. But after seeing the success of that development, I have become a convert to the concept of having affordable housing in town.”Rents at the Stuart Farm apartments will range from $700 to $900 for families making between 50 to 80 percent of area median income.Suttman said the project has been made possible by the generosity of the Kent community. For example, she said, the selectmen granted a partial 10-year tax abatement to assist with the operating budget. The housing group has also worked with the Sewer Commission to bring to fruition a long-discussed plan to extend the municipal sewer system to the road by the apartment site. This extension may permit the development of several additional rental units on the site in the future, she said.Suttman also thanked all those who had made contributions to KAH and participated in the organizations annual Night of 1,000 pies fundraiser. Full funding for the project comes from a construction loan granted by Union Savings Bank, with additional funds from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Affordable Housing Program.A DECD flexible block grant will provide a major part of the financing through a contingent liability mortgage, which guarantees the affordability of the apartments for at least 15 years. Individuals and families interested in renting an affordable apartment at the planned residences can email info@kentaffordablehousing.org.“Individuals and families with Section 8 vouchers will be welcome,” Suttman said.Information on qualifying for a Section 8 voucher can be found online at www.winhouseauth.org/hudsection8.html.Applications will be available in the next few months and will require financial and background checks. The applications will be processed in the order in which they are received.KAH can be contacted by telephone at 860-927-3321 or by mail at PO Box 265, Kent CT 06757.