EASTON — Two mixed-use developments will be built on the former Perdue grain facility on Brookletts Avenue. These developments will provide affordable housing opportunities and commercial use for the town of Easton, developers said.
The project’s developers are Chesapeake Community Development, a subsidiary of The Arc focused on creating equitable, accessible and inclusive committees.
Jonathon Rondeau, President and CEO of The Arc Central Chesapeake Region, said the project will be a thriving neighborhood that will support the various housing needs of the community by offering quality affordable and market-rate rentals.
“When you look at a six-and-a-half-acre site, there’s a real opportunity to think more broadly, but also to say, ‘how do you really affect the community rather than just building something that’s part of the community?’” Rondeau said. “But how can it be a foundation of the community?”
The Arc is a nonprofit organization with a mission to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
About 15 years ago, The Arc decided to create housing opportunities for people with disabilities, which is how Chesapeake Community Development and Chesapeake Neighbors were created.
Though the focus was to establish affordable housing for people with disabilities, the need for affordable housing became so essential that the organization changed its mission to create affordable housing opportunities for all.
Rondeau said they manage about 70 units in Anne Arundel County and the Eastern Shore, including the Primrose and Port Streets Commons. The Arc’s subsidiaries seek to create opportunities for people from disadvantaged backgrounds to access services.
Rondeau said mixing affordable and market-rate housing makes development financially viable by allowing subsidies for affordable units through market-rate rents.
He said though Talbot County has a high median income, there are a lot of families that live significantly below the average income. Rondeau said that there is a range of people who have a full time job but make less than $30,000 a year.
Workers like baristas and education professionals are people who do important work in the community and should be given the access to live in the area as well, Rondeau said.
Ross Benincasa, a consulting partner and vice president of community development, said the need for affordable housing was great in the area.
“Our vision is to bring a vibrant multi-purpose space to the community that incorporates a wide range of amenities and resources, including much-needed housing,” Benincasa said in a press release earlier this month.
Rondeau said they will be hosting a community meeting at the Brookletts Place Senior Center on July 10 at 5 p.m. to hear the concerns and ideas from the local community. He emphasized that community involvement is crucial to addressing any concerns and helping design a development that can meet the people’s needs.
“We, The Arc and Chesapeake Neighbors and Chesapeake Community Development want to be part of the community and be part of making Easton an inclusive and equitable community,” Rondeau said. “And projects like this allow us to do that, and we hope that the community can help be part of that.”
See the original article published in the Star Democrat here.