Peterborough residents hear Keene State students’ affordable housing proposals

Four Keene State students presented visions for housing developments to nearly 30 residents in the Town Library April 18, in cooperation with Peterborough’s Affordable Housing Committee.

The collaboration, known as “Envision Town: Student Challenge for Affordable Housing,” is an initiative led by the Affordable Housing Committee and Office of Planning and Building, according to Trisha Cheever, Energy and Community planner.

The project highlights underdeveloped or underutilized properties in town, showcasing their potential for mixed-use and affordable housing, she said. This marks the program’s second year.

Justin Nicholas, Taygan Lewis and Archer Correia, all senior Keene State architectural students, presented detached Accessory Dwelling Unit designs as part of a semester-long capstone project.

Senior Nina Vermeersch drew up plans for 16 Summer St., mixing townhouses and two-story homes.

The students’ presentations included blueprints, digital renderings and building descriptions.

Each design met criteria aligning with the town’s master plan, zoning and building codes, Director of Planning and Building Danica Miller said.

The projects are intended as a reference document and promote infill that can fit in well in neighborhoods, she said.

They’re also aimed at showing homeowners what can be done in a small footprint and reduce barriers to building an ADU.

“The students were given the town’s code, zoning manual and master plan,” Select Board member Bonnie Tucker said, noting they each spent time in Peterborough looking at different housing designs for inspiration.

“The win-win is it gives the students a real practical opportunity to bring together everything they’ve learned in their program,” she said. “They can apply it in a real life situation that could potentially be used by the town.”

Nicholas said his 757-square-foot design focuses on cost efficiency and features a single bedroom and bathroom, while incorporating a full kitchen, mud room, dining area and carport.

His design’s goals were maximizing usable living space within a compact footprint and providing flexibility for the changing needs of the residents, among others.

The location also had to be an existing residential lot and oriented for the structure to capture natural light.

Lewis’ design, similar in scope at 822 square feet, 677 of which she described as usable, proposes two bedrooms and two bathrooms without a carport.

“I based my design on a scenario involving a guest house or in-law suite with a flex room,” she said. “I also focused on having as much lighting as possible and maximizing space by adding a vaulted living room.”

Correira proposed the largest ADU with an 854-square-foot design. It included two bedrooms as well as a full and half bathroom.

The design has a covered porch to connect the indoor and outdoor spaces.

“This design is a traditional style,” she said. “Peterborough has many homes with shorter and wider volumes, so the design retains that.”

She also noted the design complies with the American with Disabilities Act.

Rather than focusing on ADUs, Vermeersch opted for a broader scope housing development situated on a 10-acre lot.

The plan calls for two building designs and is set at the current fire station’s location along 16 Summer St.

One is a 1,361-square-foot two-story home with three bedrooms and two baths. The other is a 2,147-square-foot three-story townhouse with two bedrooms and two baths as well as a two-car garage underneath.

According to Vermeersch, the lot proposal calls for 15 0.2 acre units, but the number is adjustable based on the town’s needs.

She also noted construction would take place at elevated sections on the lot given its proximity to a flood zone.

“While the edge of the site is along a main flood zone, the houses would be further up on the property,” she said.

Because of the topography, Vermeersch said the land requires cutting and filling.

While the group doesn’t have pricing for their projects yet, Miller said the town is cataloguing the designs because developers get “stuck” when planning ADU construction.

“We want to create a catalogue of blueprints they can use,” she said. The designs will be publicly available through email.