LEBANON – Pointing to a 58-name list of low-income residents looking for apartments they can afford, the Lebanon Housing Authority has proposed expanding Romano Circle, a subsidized housing development off Route 12A in West Lebanon.
The proposed $2.7 million construction project – the housing authority’s first since 1984 – would increase the number of housing units in Romano Circle from 30 to 46. The majority of the new units would be two-bedroom apartments, which are in highest demand, said John Chaffee, executive director of the housing authority.
Eligibility criteria require that a single person living at Romano Circle make no more than $22,050 a year. Couples can’t make more than $25,200.
"(The state funding programs) specify that the units must be affordable to people who are at 50 percent to 60 percent of the area’s median income," Chaffee said.
Residents of Romano Circle can easily hop a bus to the plazas and shops on nearby Route 12A, the Upper Valley’s commercial center.
"Many of the people who live in Romano Circle work in the mall area, so the placement of these apartments is ideal to accommodate the people who are working in these jobs, which are the expansion jobs for the economy," Chaffee said.
The Lebanon Housing Authority has signed a purchase and sales agreement with Jin Rong Zhang, owner of 1.4 acres of land that abuts the Romano Circle neighborhood. The housing authority wants to build a new townhouse complex and two four-unit buildings for a total of 12 two-bedroom apartments and four one-bedroom apartments.
"We have been seeking to acquire this land for quite a few years and it has only recently come on the market so that we could purchase it," Chaffee said. "We have long thought of this as a possibility for expansion of Romano Circle."
Renters of the new units would be able to plug into a network of amenities already in place for Romano Circle residents, such as a community center, a trail for hiking and biking, and shared open spaces.
Additionally, the new tenants would have the benefits of a residents’ association, a neighborhood watch group, an after-school mentoring program for children, a summer gardening program, and planned activities for families throughout the year.
The Lebanon Zoning Board will meet on April 2 to decide whether to grant a variance to the project because city regulations now prohibit development of multi-family dwelling units in the rural residential zone. However, Romano Circle was already built when that regulation took effect, Chaffee said.
"We were part of the character of the neighborhood before it started to be protected," he said.
If approved by the city’s zoning and planning boards and funded through state housing programs, construction could commence next summer, Chaffee said.
In addition to Romano Circle, the Lebanon Housing Authority owns and manages three housing developments for the elderly in the city. |
