The Warner Planning Board voted 4-3 last week to approve a 34-unit workforce housing project proposed by CATCH Neighborhood Housing, granting the nonprofit permission to build off Exit 19 with several conditions attached.
project approved after court win and redesign
The project is a downsized version of an earlier plan. CATCH reduced the proposal from 48 units to 34 after successfully challenging the planning board’s prior rejection in court. The board’s latest approval requires a portion of the ground floor to be dedicated to retail; an annual recertification of tenants’ incomes, with tenants exceeding 40% of their eligible income becoming ineligible; and documentation and procedures for safe salt management and de-icing. Final approvals also hinge on sign-offs from the Warner fire chief and the state fire marshal.
“I have an idea from being at the meeting, but until we get the final decision, it’s hard to say exactly what those conditions will be and how we will or will not be able to deal with them,” said Tom Furtado, president and CEO of CATCH, in an interview following the vote.
Furtado and Alex Panagiotakos, chief operating officer and director of real estate and asset management for CATCH, attended the board’s Oct. 19 meeting where the project’s final plans were presented. Some planning board members expressed frustration that the review process had stretched over multiple meetings; others continued to raise concerns about emergency access and design details.
Board member John Leavitt, speaking during the hearing, said he believed the fire department had adequate time to review access plans. “It seems like, to me, that people are looking for a reason to deny this application,” Leavitt said at the meeting.
local history and next steps
The site has a multi-year history of proposals. In 2022, Comet LLC and Ranger Engineer Group pitched a 24-unit workforce housing project on the same parcel; that plan was rejected by the planning board. The most recent approval follows CATCH’s court challenge to the earlier denial and the developer’s subsequent redesign.
With conditions now specified by the board, CATCH will work to clarify the final language of those stipulations and secure the remaining safety approvals. The developer must meet the board’s requirements before obtaining final permits and beginning construction.
- Project: 34-unit workforce housing proposed by CATCH Neighborhood Housing
- Vote: approved 4-3
- Conditions: ground-floor retail percentage, annual income recertification (over 40% of eligible income disqualifies), salt/de-icing documentation, fire chief and fire marshal approval
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Original proposal | 48 units (downsized) |
| Current approval | 34 units |
| Previous pitch | 24 units (2022) |
