An over $4 million affordable housing project just got $42,611 cheaper after the Select Board voted to unanimously waive it’s building fees, despite warning from Randy Bassett, director of inspectional services and zoning enforcement officer, that it could set a financially dangerous precedent. 

However, at the Monday, July 22 meeting, the Select Board said the project had a unique status for which the board will establish the necessary guidelines for in the future. 

The Monroe-Monteiro Project is a 10-unit affordable housing development for seniors who receive services from the Department of Mental Health. The Dartmouth Partners in Housing have been looking to get constructed since 2018. 

The building permit for the project costs $41,590 and the plumbing permit is $1,021. It is not yet known what the electrical permit will cost, but that fee will also be waived.

Bassett said, “There are other nonprofit tax exempt properties in Dartmouth and they're all required to pay their building fees. My concern is that if you guys waive this fee, there's currently other projects going on with similar scopes of work — they're going to come back and ask for their fees to be waived and we've already collected these fees.”

He said if this is something the Select Board is willing to do, he recommends creating a policy that outlines the exact requirements that must be satisfied in order for a fee waiver to be considered. 

Michael Gagne, president of Partners in Housing, said this project is “distinctly” different from others for a few reasons, including its current 501C3 nonprofit status and for the amount of town and state money invested into the project.

The town has $1 million invested in the project, the Dartmouth Housing Authority has another million funding it and there’s an additional $500,000 loan in the works, Gagne said. Additionally, the state has contributed approximately $3 million.

“All of the housing units are to be affordable for seniors,” he said. “This is distinctly different than any of the 40Bs where you get 25% of the property on a rental assistance basis.”

Select Board member Heidi Silva Brooks said comparing it to a 40B is like comparing “apples and ice cream.”

Select Board Chair Shawn McDonald highlighted how the town had previously waived the fees for the Housing Authority’s O’Connor-Sisson House for Veterans.

Additionally, Gagne said the property will remain in the ownership of the Dartmouth Housing Authority. 

Bassett said, “I understand completely. I wanted to let it be known that this is a $4 million project. … This is the one time that they would be contributing to the town, and if you waive it then we're not getting it.”

McDonald said he understands Bassett’s concerns, adding he is doing a “fantastic” job, and the board will be sure to establish the guidelines necessary to distinguish this project from other not-for-profits.