Students from the architecture program at Keene State College are creating potential designs for affordable housing at some of Peterborough’s most well-known properties as part of a collaboration between the Keene State architecture department, the Peterborough Affordable Housing Committee, the Peterborough Planning Department, and Peterborough property owners.
The Envision Town Challenge for Affordable Housing is a Keene State initiative which presents architecture students with the challenge of designing solutions for affordable housing and mixed-use properties at undeveloped or redevelopable lots.
“All these property owners are interested in looking at how they can possibly help create affordable housing in Peterborough. Some are actively looking to develop, and others are interested in seeing some concepts. It’s a very exciting program,” said Bonnie Tucker of the Peterborough Affordable Housing Committee.
Tucker said the ultimate goal of the project is to “link potential developers with viable designs for the properties.” The students, who are broken into groups to work on the six properties, will create architectural renderings of the designs and present them at a public forum at the end of the project.
Tucker said that the students are given “free reign” in the project and encouraged to be “as creative as possible.”
“The only guidance they were given is that the projects need to include housing,” she said. “The projects could be mixed-use, with retail below or housing above; there are all kids of possibilities.”
Danica Melone, Peterborough’s town planner, said the property owners and real estate agents she spoke to were “really excited” about the project. Melone said her office has provided the student architects with relevant information about zoning and environmental restrictions or requirements at each of the properties.
“We want this project to be as realistic and as actionable as it possibly can be. This program has been successful and had an impact in areas of Keene, and this is the first time they are doing it in Peterborough,” Melone said. “It’s exciting that these designs could function as a ‘carrot’ for developers. We desperately need affordable housing in Peterborough, so there are many benefits of having this program come here.”
Tucker said the students “are excited to get off campus and come to Peterborough.”
All the properties are privately owned, and some are on currently the market. According to Tucker, the owners of the properties are all open to considering potential designs that could bring value to the community.
“We want people to envision broadly as possible what could be,” Tucker said. “We want people to feel like they have been part of this process.”
The following properties are part of the Peterborough Envision project: Jaffrey Road (the Monadnock Plaza), an undeveloped lot between Ocean State Job Lot and Route 202; 24, 25 and 30 Bridge St., also between Ocean State Job Lot and Route 202; 80 to 84 Elm St. (also known as the old IDG building, which was recently demolished); 130 Grove St. Extension (the old Peterborough Basket Company property); and 15 Evans Road, a former home and land which abut the Contoocook River and Evans Flats conservation area.
The Envision project includes several public community events. The first, a celebration of the students’ accomplishments, will include their professors and family members along with the PAHC and the Peterborough Planning Department. At the second event, which will take place at the Peterborough Town Library, the Planning Department and the PAHC will bring in developers to connect with students and review their plans. Real estate agents and landowners will also be in attendance.
“This will be chance for developers to have an interactive exchange with students and learn about what they have conceptualized, and to see if we can maybe create a match and build some excitement around these projects,” Tucker said.
In the final week of the project, all designs will be on display in the 1833 Room at the Peterborough Town Library to allow the public to check the students’ architectural concepts and rendering.
Four of the properties in South Peterborough are adjacent, which Tucker says could create a real opportunity for creative collaboration.
“We’re looking at these properties and started thinking, ‘What if you could design for these properties collectively?’ It’s almost like a maybe new area of Peterborough could be created. It’s walkable to downtown, it’s on the common pathway, it’s near shopping, ” Tucker said. “The students immediately saw it, too, and those groups are collaborating with their designs. Right now, this area is not synched with the downtown and it doesn’t have the beauty and charm of the downtown, but it’s really exciting to think about what could happen.We would love to see the Monadnock Plaza become a multi-use property. We’d love to see it become more vibrant and more a part of the community.”
Carl Staley of the Affordable Housing Committee said that at a recent meeting, students were excited about having the opportunity to conceptualize the South Peterborough lots into one project.
“They basically are looked at it as a whole neighborhood, even though the lots are not currently owned by the same person. It’s a conceptual thing; they can be developed together, or not, but the possibilities are exciting,” he said.
Staley said so far, the students assigned to the old IDG site are working on a mixed-use concept, while the student working in the Evans Flats property has a concept for multifamily housing.
“The enthusiasm of the students was amazing,” Staley said. “They really have a great architecture program at Keene State with over 100 students; there are a lot of job possibilities for these students.”
Tucker said she thinks the project could have lasting positive impact on Peterborough,
“This is an amazing opportunity for the students to be involved in,” she said.