With TIF for mixed-use village off the table, special Town Meeting won’t be needed

A special Town Meeting originally proposed for the end of the month to approve a TIF agreement for the mixed-use village proposed for the former DPW site will not be going forward.

Town Administrator Evan Brassard told the Select Board Tuesday that the project does not qualify for a TIF (tax increment financing) because financial consultants found the town to be simultaneously too affluent and too rural for a limited term property tax exemption in exchange for increased affordable housing on the property.

GSX Ventures is developing a 136-unit apartment complex with retail space at 27 Upton Street, the site of the former DPW. Ten percent of the property is designated for affordable housing, a figure the Affordable Housing Trust is hoping to increase. 

The trust will meet with the Select Board at next week’s meeting to discuss the potential to increase affordable units.

Prior to the DPW’s move to its new Old Westboro Road facility, the Planning Department considered multiple uses for the 7-acre Upton Road property, ultimately settling on mixed use. The project spans two parcels, the former DPW at 27 Upton Street and 17 Upton Street, a barn structure which will be preserved for use as a brew pub.

The complex will feature retail space, including a restaurant, on the ground floor. The housing area features a large clubhouse with a demonstration kitchen, a fitness center, conference rooms, group workspaces, and a gathering area that looks out to a central courtyard. A covered parking deck will be available for residents.

GSX is also developing 8 Pine Street, a mixed use “transit village” on former Grafton State Hospital property. 

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