Zoning board hears about 'The Hathaway' for the first time

A new apartment complex on Hathaway Road may be coming to Dartmouth, bringing more affordable housing units to the town.

The Zoning Board of Appeals held a first hearing for “The Hathaway,” a proposed 300-unit housing project, at its Thursday, Jan. 8 meeting. 

Many concerned residents attended the hearing, filling the room and into overflow rooms, and while there was no public comment developer David Calhoun did address several ways the development proposes to mitigate its impact on the neighborhood. 

Calhoun, of Saxon Partners, and several additional representatives, such as architectural and engineering consultants, presented at the hearing. 

As this was the first hearing, the developer and consultants presented some details of the project, but did not discuss a specific scientific focus and there was no public comment.

Because only 7.81% of housing in Dartmouth is considered affordable, the zoning board can only deny or place restrictions on 40B-zoned projects if it determines local concerns outweigh the need for affordable housing. 

This zoning also allows developments to bypass certain zoning restrictions, and face only the zoning board  if at least 25% of its units meet affordable housing standards. About 75 of the proposed 300 units will be considered affordable, putting this project over the threshold. 

Calhoun stated that this project will also push Dartmouth above the 10% affordable housing as units are counted if they are rentals.

Because the majority of the 113 acre parcel is wetland, only 16 acres are currently able to be developed. The proposal is for six buildings at the front of the plot, right off Hathaway Road. 

Cordeiro said the land used to be farmlands, and is now overgrown with trees. 

The land is significantly slanted, which the developer said was incorporated into the plans for each building. The two buildings closest to the road — and on the flattest part of the parcel — will be four stories high, while the remaining four will be four stories tall at the front and five stories at the back to take advantage of the steep grade. 

The building closest to Hope Evangelical Church, at 88 Hathaway Road, will also include a clubhouse, pool, gym and other amenities. 

Goddard said the development would meet town and state stormwater standards, but wastewater upgrades would be required on Hathaway Road. However, he said the developer is willing to include these upgrades in the project. 

He pointed to a buffer zone of trees between the new apartments and existing houses, measures to limit light to only the apartment property and an absence of balconies to reduce outside noise from residents. 

Calhoun also offered to meet with concerned residents to explain the project directly to the public and hear their concerns. 

Before the next hearing, the town must hire experts to review previous studies commissioned by the developer, such as impacts on traffic flow and environmental concerns. The board approved an offer from Calhoun to provide a fund of $25,000 to $30,000 for these peer reviews, which will be handled by Town Administrator Cody Haddad. 

The next meeting will be Monday, March 2 to provide time for a traffic study to be conducted and reviewed.The board and developer will then discuss the traffic study and civil engineering concerns.