Residents vote to lease Community Center to Sharon Housing Trust

SHARON — The vacant Sharon Community Center is set to be converted into affordable housing following a vote by Sharon residents at a pivotal town meeting held on Thursday, June 13.

Following the approval to lease the town-owned building at 99 North Main Street to the Sharon Housing Trust, the Trust will now have just 15 months, a little over a year, to secure the funds needed for the building’s conversion into apartment units.

The success of this project would continue the efforts of the Housing Trust on North Main Street, having already obtained six apartments located in three buildings at 91, 93, and 95 North Main Street, not far from the Community Center.

The lease to the Trust will extended for 99 years, and the plan is to convert the empty building into four separate apartment units.

The extended life of this lease is to prevent the affordable housing units from being bought, sold, or turned into a commercial property. Funding for the Community Center may hinge on the results of a grant application that, following a delay for the Sharon Board of Selectmen, was approved and filed on Friday, June 14.

If the application is received well, The Housing Trust could receive a $1 million grant under the Connecticut Small Cities Community Development Block Grant program.

The program is specifically interested in public works and local economic projects that would benefit low-and moderate-income residents or future residents, with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.