Since its founding in France more than 300 years ago, the mission of the De La Salle Christian Brothers has mostly been to help children.
But Brother Edmond Precourt, superior of De La Salle Christian Brothers Long Island-New England District, headquartered in Narragansett, says he couldn’t ignore another population in need: local seniors on fixed incomes.
“Speaking with the brothers, I came to the conclusion that we need to be focusing on the elderly population on fixed incomes,” Precourt told Providence Business News recently, explaining where the idea came from for a 60-acre development with affordable housing on their land on Ocean Road in Narragansett.
Some Narragansett fixed-income seniors have been on waiting lists for senior housing for more than six years, he said.
In May, De La Salle introduced plans – which haven’t yet been submitted to the town – for a 60-acre development with 80 one- and two-bedroom rental units, 21 market-rate homes, 17 market-rate condominiums and 14 work force condos. The entire development would be for those 55-years-old and older and as much as 75 percent would be affordable housing. (READ MORE)
The affordable-housing units are intended to align the development with the organization’s mission and to help the town reach 10-percent affordable housing required by the R.I. Low and Moderate Income Housing Act, updated during 2004.
The development is being designed as a grouping of small neighborhoods connected by two-lane roads. That’s an attempt to keep as much green space as possible and to also minimize the visual impact on the property’s 900-foot Ocean Road frontage, which is now green space, Precourt said.
The proposal, he said, is “the result of a very careful and rigorous evaluation process designed to determine the most responsible and beneficial use of our property. It is driven by mission and community service, not by profit.”
Senior project executive Dennis Maloney said the architecture of the organization’s current complex – much of it shingles and stone – will be echoed in the new development.
The development will be structured so the market-rate housing is closest to Ocean Road and the three other “neighborhoods” will be farther into the property, he said.
“In order to kind of match-up with other development along Ocean Road, where there are some high-end estates, Brother [Precourt] is looking to build a cluster of single-family, primarily detached homes,” he said.
But because profit isn’t the motive, Maloney said, those market rate homes, ranging from 2,200- to 2,400-square-feet, should only produce enough revenue to complete the affordable housing farther back on the property.
And De La Salle is being cautious to not offend any neighbors. Last month, De La Salle held a neighborhood meeting attended by 75 abutters and nearby residents. And De La Salle presented pre-application plans to the Narragansett Planning Board, but haven’t yet submitted a master plan, Precourt said.
“Feedback has been basically positive. There are a couple of concerns, which we will address,” he said. “They see it as a need in our area.”
Once the master plan is submitted a public hearing will be held, possibly as soon as mid-July. If approved, groundbreaking could be in late 2009. Although planning isn’t complete, the development will likely cost more than $30 million.
Maloney said Precourt is hoping to create a public-private partnership, because the development is aligned with the goals of the Town of Narragansett, Rhode Island Housing and other agencies.
Last month, the developers were curious about whether some of the homes would be able to see Narragansett Bay – arguably one of the biggest selling points for moving to Narragansett – from the second floor of their homes.
“Someone from Pariseault Builders has, under Brother [Precourt’s] direction, brought some lifts out onto the property to … see where the view is,” Maloney said. “From some of them, you’ll have a view.” •
