Final piece of ‘workforce housing’ puzzle falls into place

Besides the bombshell announcement on changes to and meaningful movement on the Afton Inn project reported elsewhere on Royal Examiner, progress on the workforce housing project was also mentioned during Executive Director Jennifer McDonald’s report to her board. See Related Story

McDonald said that later in the day attorney Joe Silek Jr., working on behalf of the EDA, was poised to get the signature of an adjacent property owner on an easement to fulfill the final town planning department requirement on the project.  That easement acquisition of just over a tenth of an acre for road dedication for the Royal Lane property will facilitate the EDA finally being able to turn the property over the Aikens Group for development of the apartment complex designed to accommodate a younger, entry-level professional workforce.

Artist’s rendering of one of three, 12-unit apartment buildings to be developed targeting the community’s young professional workforce. Royal Examiner File Photos/Roger Bianchini

The Winchester-based Aikens Group plans to break ground on the project in 2018, according to McDonald’s report.  Aikens was a behind the scenes player in the EDA-driven workforce housing project almost from the outset in 2014.  The fact the developer did not initially want its interest publicized led to numerous questions being raised about the project by both former Town Councilwoman Bébhinn Egger and the media.

However, when the EDA formerly announced Aikens’ behind-the-scene involvement on August 7, 2017, the project’s many loose ends were tied together as reported at the time by Royal Examiner. See Related Story

The view south on Royal Lane toward the 3.6-acre workforce housing property