Mellishwood Apartments – Update February 26, 2024

Things continue to move forward with our plans for redeveloping the property. Last month, Twin Pines secured site plan approval from Woodstock Village Design Review Board for its plans to build a new 28-unit building behind the historic buildings at Mellishwood. The design by Banwell Architects of Lebanon, NH, now features a mansard-style roof. We are pleased with the design concepts, which received significant input from the Woodstock Design Advisory Committee.

Once completed, the entire Mellishwood complex will include 39 units, providing for more affordable, senior housing options in Woodstock.

This month, Twin Pines submitted financing applications to the Vermont Housing Finance Agency and to the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board. We hope to receive word on those applications sometime in the middle of spring.

We are excited about the strong support that the project received during the permitting process and to have the local approvals in hand.

Twin Pines plans to build an 18-unit apartment building, on a parcel of the St. Paul’s Church property. Preliminary plans call for the building to have three-stories with a pitched roof and with all apartments having a single bedroom. The building will provide permanent housing for its residents, who will receive case management services from the Haven in addition to services provided by Twin Pines’ staff. It will help meet the need for permanent housing with supportive services from those who have experienced long-term homelessness.

 

PROJECT UPDATE — September 1, 2023:

Project expectations for next week, September 4th through September 8th.

 

No work is scheduled for Monday, September 4, due to Labor Day.

Excavation work next week will be primarily focused on laying and connecting water and sewer lines. The water and sewer lines for this project connect to the main system on Hartford Avenue. Therefore, there will be extensive trench work on Goudreau Street within the area of the church. While this trench work is occurring, Goudreau Street will likely be closed to traffic in this area. However, Demers Avenue will remain easily accessible by using Devin Street. The work on Goudreau Street is scheduled to go through the week. The roadway will be dirt where trenching has occurred on Goudreau Street until that area gets patched with asphalt.

 

As the water/sewer installation progresses, work will then turn to laying the subsurface material for preparation of the base layer of asphalt which will make up the new parking lot in Phase I of the project.  While preparation for the pavement may start next week it will most likely occur during the week of September 11 through 15.

 

Please note, with the water/sewer work, the dirt underneath, around, and above these pipes needs to be compacted. Compaction will also be necessary prior to the base layer of asphalt for the phase I parking lot. Therefore, next week and the week after nearby residents may feel or hear compaction equipment on site which can create noise and vibrations. This work can be somewhat sporadic, but it is a necessary part of the process.

 

Lastly and of particular importance, during September, most likely in the second half of the month, we’re going to need to close the Haven/Church parking lot for a couple of days. This will primarily affect the Haven. During this time, the contractor is going to need to trench diagonally across the entire parking lot so that a conduit can be installed for the underground electric cable that will ultimately feed the new building and church. The expectation is that the parking area will not be available for use during this time.