Harborlight outlines Asbury Commons affordable housing and lottery; Sept. 1 application deadline, Oct. 6 lottery

Harborlight Senior Operations Manager Anna Cziedzic told the Hamilton Planning Board that Asbury Commons at 461 Asbury will be a fully affordable, two‑story building with 45 units—10 one‑bed, 25 two‑bed and 10 three‑bed—serving households at 30% and 60% of area median income and accepting multiple housing vouchers.

"All 45 units are affordable," Cziedzic said, and described amenities that include on‑site resident services, a community room, card‑operated laundry, roof‑mounted solar and two active EV chargers with 14 additional EV‑ready stations. She said the project is designed with climate‑resilient features and is Harbourlight's first passive‑house building.

Cziedzic explained the lottery and waitlist process: applicants will be separated into a local pool (Hamilton residents, people who work in Hamilton, or applicants with children in the regional school district) and an open pool; preferences (for ADA, CBH, homeless priority and local preference) can move a higher draw number ahead for specific unit types. "We are receiving applications," she said, and stressed that the deadline to submit complete applications is Sept. 1; the public lottery is scheduled for Oct. 6 in Town Hall, and lease‑up will occur over the winter with occupancy hoped for next April if construction is on schedule.

The presentation included specific operational rules: one‑bedrooms have no age restriction, pets are not allowed except for service or emotional‑support animals, subletting is prohibited and household size will be determined by the state sanitary code. On vouchers and subsidies, Cziedzic said Harborlight obtained eight Section 8 and eight MRVP vouchers for the building and that units without subsidy will use HUD‑linked maximum rents discounted to 85% of the HUD maximum to widen eligibility.

The board pressed Harborlight on logistics: expected turnover once stabilized (Cziedzic estimated under 10% annually), whether sidewalks on Asbury would be added (town responsibility and budget item), on‑site management hours (a shared property manager with a dedicated office) and transportation supports coordinated by resident services. On lottery transparency, Cziedzic described a manual draw procedure with color‑coded paper tickets and a clear glass bowl so draws can be observed and redundantly recorded.

Materials and slides will be posted publicly; Mark (town staff) will host printed applications at Town Hall and the library, and Harborlight said it will coordinate with the Affordable Housing Trust and provide translation and outreach in multiple languages.