Letter in Support of McManus Manor Senior Housing
Dear Undersecretary Maddox,
I write to you in support of the McManus Manor, a forty-one unit elder/disabled affordable rental project sponsored by the Acton Housing Authority (AHA). The AHA is the largest provider of affordable rental housing in Acton. The AHA’s current waiting list for elder/disabled housing is over 2,000 households. This project has been supported at three consecutive Acton Town Meetings for land and funding. There was not a single voice against this project at any community meeting or zoning hearing.
The AHA is partnering with the Department of Developmental Services and Minuteman Senior Services who will provide assistance to residents who will live at McManus Manor. The Town will include this location on their hourly shuttle service and McManus Manor residents will be able to access the meal programs, clinics, exercise classes and services at the Council on Aging. The Town also has plans to build a park for seniors adjacent to this location.
McManus Manor is being designed to meet PHIUS+ 2015 Passive Building Standards. This includes enhanced building envelope tightness, increased insulation levels, high performance windows and doors, and greater compartmentalization measures at units. This project will be an EnergyStar Multifamily certified building, have EV chargers onsite, and a full electric systems approach building wide. The site design and landscaping are focused on sustainable features such as strategically limited sitework and earth moving, onsite stormwater retention and groundwater recharge, incorporation of native planting species, and use of permeable pavers at entry areas.
This project will provide much needed accessible, affordable housing to elder and disabled residents in my district. I am happy to recommend this project for funding and hope this project will be funded in the January 2022 One-Stop funding round.
Thank you for your consideration of this important project. Sincerely,
James B. Eldridge
State Senator
Middlesex & Worcester District
