Construction going strong at Madison housing development

MADISON — After breaking ground last November, new buildings clad in Tyvek appear to be going up fast at The Wellington, a 31-unit affordable housing development at 131 Cottage Road.

The $10.7 million project, in the planning stages for six years, is slated to be completed by the end of 2024.

“It takes a long time to get affordable housing to ground-breaking, to ‘OK we’re going to roll forward,’” said Marianne McDermott of the Caleb Group of Boston, the majority owner of the project.

McDermott, who recently visited The Wellington, said she was struck by how “pretty” the property is, which is near Hammonasset State Park. “You could feel like, this is a nice, nice location. There’s access to a variety of things. … The water’s right there,” she said.

Prospective tenants may apply to a waiting list close to when the project is done. Tenants will be chosen by lottery from a waiting list, according to McDermott.

“We do know there is more and more interest as the project comes closer to looking like a reality,” McDermott said.

There is great pent-up demand for affordable housing on the shoreline, especially “in a community like Madison that’s resource rich,” she added.

“The list always vastly overwhelms the available units,” McDermott said. “Then they’re waiting, and that’s hard. It’s fraught — the demand for affordable housing versus the supply.”

That’s one of the challenging aspects about affordable housing, she said, “trying to meet demand in a way that feels remotely fair in an unfair dynamic, to be honest. There’s so little of it.”

The mixed-income apartment complex will charge rent for the affordable apartments on a sliding scale based on 30 percent of a tenant’s qualifying income for each tier.

Unit sizes will vary, from 600 square feet to 1,145 square feet for onebedroom units, and twobedroom units from 721 square feet to 1,207 square feet.

There will be some higher-end, market-rate units for rent as well.

In addition to the townhouse-style apartments, the 1808 Henry Josiah Meigs house and barn will be preserved with some of its original interior kept intact. The handsome red historic structure will be turned into four one-bedroom apartments.

On the 2.6 -acre site, there is an existing building with four occupied townhouse units, built in 2016.

A community building is also under construction at the site, which will house the offices of the resident coordinator and property manager.

For tenants, it will be a community space for potluck neighborhood dinners, flu vaccine clinics, cooking and nutrition classes, chair yoga and presentations, according to McDermott.

The Caleb Group is overseeing the project, from garnering financing to construction.

Financing comes from a mix of tax credits, loans and grants from federal and state agencies.

The local nonprofit agency involved is Hope Partnership Inc. of Madison, which bought the property as an unfinished multifamily development in 2018. The Caleb Group joined the effort in 2020.

Construction has gone smoothly so far with a little bit of luck with a mild winter and planning.

The Caleb group is “extremely pleased” with the progress so far, McDermott said.

“We have not encountered the delays we and our fellow builders of housing have encountered in the supply chain,” she said. “The general contractor ordered things in advance in anticipation of supply chain issues.”

McDermott is also pleased by working with Hope Partnership and town officials.

“The people on the ground … they brought this project to Caleb, and they’ve done an amazing job,” McDermott said about Hope Partnership. “The town of Madison has been very supportive.

“Hope really has the local relationships … to work closely with the community and local elected officials. To bring a project everybody is proud of to fruition,” she added.

Hope Partnership is involved in managing Ferry Crossing in Old Saybrook and The Lofts at Spencer’s Corner in Centerbrook, with the Wellington the latest addition.