The former American Red Cross Westfield Chapter building could be a youth lodging house under a plan approved by the Westfield Planning Board Tuesday night. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – The Planning Board voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve the site plan submitted by Domus Inc., to convert the former American Red Cross Chapter house into efficiency apartments for homeless high school students.
The building will be revamped and will have 11 residential units, as well as common areas. Ten of the units will house students and one will be used to house a proctor on the first floor for supervision and security.
Domus Executive Director Ann Lentini said that, like all Domus housing, the house will be a structured environment with rules and regulations.
Domus offers affordable housing to low- and moderate-income families, the homeless, and the mentally and physically disabled in nine housing buildings around the city, and sought Planning Board approval of a site plan to establish a 10-bed facility for homeless teen students at the Broad Street building which has been vacant since the Westfield Red Cross Chapter moved up the street to St. John’s Lutheran Church.
Domus requested $80,000 of the Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding to construct 11 single-room residencies (SRO) in the Broad Street facility. The Community Preservation Committee has approved that funding and the $80,000 appropriation is now being reviewed by the City Council’s Finance Committee.
Domus recently was awarded a grant of $189,644 by the Community Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC) to help finance the project. The total cost of the building conversion and renovation is estimated at $1.4 million, with the bulk of that funding from the state Department of Housing & Community Development.
The Planning Board approval is conditional on the receipt of a modified, stamped site plan to reflect changes that will be made to the drainage and water facilities at the 48 Broad Street building.
Mark Reed of Heritage Surveys Inc. of Southampton said the site plan will reflect two issues raised by the Planning Board members at the initial hearing held on January 14.
“The existing catch basin is a dry well and is not connected to the city’s storm drain system,” Reed said. “We are doing a full survey. The final design will be a leaching basin meeting all of today’s standards.”
Reed also addressed the second issue of water service sufficient to provide fire protection for residents of the building. The board also encouraged the petitioner to find an alternative water supply without having to cut into the recently rebuilt Broad Street or sidewalk.
“There is an eight-inch water main into the Lumber Center and the owner is willing to grant an easement to make a connection along the grass buffer, so there is no need to cut into Broad Street or the sidewalk,” Reed said.
The existing water line to the building is either a half-inch or three-quarter-inch pipe, Reed said.
“It’s been in there some time and the interior (diameter) may be less than that (because of sedimentation) so the pressure is not adequate to serve all of the uses in the building,” Reed said. “We are in the process of preparing a site plan which will be provided to the Engineering and Planning Departments.”
Reed requested the board to approve the site plan contingent upon submission of the final site plan, explaining that Domus is on a tight timeline to apply to the Department of Housing and Community Development for funding. Reed agreed to come back to the board if any major changes are made to the plan.
Lentini said Domus was invited by the state agency to participate in a fast-track funding program for the homeless student housing project.
“Under the fast track, funding could be approved by March,” Lentini said. “If the project is delayed, we won’t get that funding until April or May which would, which would push back construction for months.”
“We have addressed all of the conditions and the Lumber Center has granted us an easement,” Lentini said.
The board approved a number of findings and conditions, as amended Tuesday night, which were attached to the site plan approval.
