Spring Rock Village, Millstone Road
The Town of Brewster hired Barrett Planning Group to lead a visioning process for developing affordable housing on Town-owned land on Millstone Road. Through interviews with stakeholders, three interactive community meetings, and online surveys, we created multiple ways for the public to learn about the site and share ideas about creating affordable housing. Ultimately, the Town used our work and a feasibility study by Bohler Engineering to prepare a Request for Proposals (RFP) to find a qualified developer.
The first two community meetings provided residents with background on the property’s history and existing conditions. We offered a variety of interactive tools, including question boards, a group mapping charette, and a visual preference survey. From these engagement efforts, Bohler Engineering prepared three site concepts and presented them at our third and final community meeting. Participants voted on a preferred design. The community’s input and our engagement report formed the basis for the Town’s 2021 RFP.
The winning proposal from Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) and Housing Assistance Corporation (HAC) incorporated many of the community’s priorities, such as clustering buildings on the site to reduce land disturbance. After the Zoning Board of Appeals granted a comprehensive permit for the 45-unit Spring Rock Village rental development in June 2023, the developers secured the funding required to build the new homes.
Brewster has consistently taken a proactive approach to engaging residents in a variety of planning and public policy issues. As a result, the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) has recognized Brewster for numerous achievements in communications, community services, and public engagement. After the Millstone Road project, we continued to work with Brewster to update the Town’s Housing Production Plan in 2022 and a multifamily and mixed-use zoning study.