Four students from the architecture department at Keene State unveiled their concepts for affordable housing at some of Peterborough’s most well-known properties in a presentation Saturday at RiverMead. 

Students Elaina Valdez, Peregrine Burgraff, Sydney Syzpzak and Clark Gesen, all seniors at Keene State, took part in the Envision Town Challenge for Affordable Housing, 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. 

The students created concepts for 1 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., site of the former 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 project is a collaboration between Keene State’s architecture department, the Peterborough Affordable Housing Committee, the Peterborough Planning Department and Peterborough property owners. The students were given free rein in their design, with the one requirement being that the concepts had to include housing.  The designs are on display in the second floor of the Peterborough Town House through Friday evening’s First Friday event. 

On Saturday’s, the students presented their concepts to local real estate agents, developers and members of the Planning Board and PAHC.  At the introduction to the event, Town Planner Danica Melone reviewed Peterborough’s master plan housing goals, which specifies the town’s goal “to provide diverse, inclusive housing stock specifically aimed at delivering housing which is affordable.” 

Burgraff, who created a design for the former site of the IDG Building, incorporated several different levels and sizes of housing, including apartments, townhomes and cottages,  to accommodate people with housing different needs. She created her design around the possibility of an art-based community. 

“We know Peterborough has a strong investment in the arts. With that in mind, my housing design includes studio space with north-facing skylights for people who might want to create art in their home, and the cottages could be potentially be places to live and sell their art, ” she said.

Valdez created a design for a housing project on the Evans Flats property formerly owned by the Paradise family, who were known in the neighborhood for sharing their vegetable garden with the community. The design includes a space for a large community garden in honor of the Paradise family.

“I used that for inspiration; I wanted to create a sense of community and drive a sense of interaction between the people living here,” Valdez said. 

Syzpzak and Gesen created  potential designs incorporating several vacant lots behind the Peterborough Plaza, as well as Monadnock Plaza. 

“We decided to look at this project as an extension of the downtown area, which is about a 10-minute walk,” Syzpzak said. “In looking at this site. we realized it already has a lot of connection to green space and trails, and we know those are really important to the people of Peterborough.” 

Syzpzak said “safe walkability to the downtown” was a priority. 

“We moved the walking trail off Route 202 to the middle of the property,” she said. 

Gesen presented the second design, which included mixed-use buildings with retail, offices, restaurants and housing and incorporates Monadnock Plaza and the Peterborough Basket Company building. The concept includes townhouses, single-family homes and apartments around a shared green space. 

“I wanted to incorporate space for the community as well as preserve the surrounding environment,” Gesen said. 

All the properties in the project are privately owned, and some are on currently the market. According to Bonnie Tucker of the PAHC, the owners of the properties “are all open to considering potential designs that could bring value to the community.” 

Real estate agents and developers attending Saturday’s event praised the student’s concepts and designs. 

“These projects are brilliant, and I love the seeds that they plant,” said Sadie Halliday.