HARTFORD — The Selectboard is expected on Tuesday to review a draft safety plan for a proposed Twin Pines Housing development off Sykes Mountain Avenue.
In February, the Selectboard asked Twin Pines to prepare a public safety plan for the proposed 48-unit affordable housing development as a condition of securing town support to apply for a $1 million grant to help fund the project.
On Tuesday night, the Selectboard is expected to review a draft of that safety plan and finalize a charge and group structure for a committee to review safety at all Twin Pines-managed properties in Hartford.
The nonprofit housing developer submitted the 23-page draft safety plan for the proposed development May 7.
“The Safety Plan is the first of its kind that we have been able to determine among our peers in Vermont,” Twin Pines Executive Director Andrew Winter wrote in a memo to the Selectboard.
The document “emphasizes prevention, prompt hazard correction, coordinated response with local emergency services, and documentation of incidents and corrective actions,” the introduction continues. “It is also intended to serve as a framework for Twin Pines Housing and Hartford emergency services to work collaboratively to ensure the health, security and
safety of residents, staff, and visitors.”
Subsections of the document address criminal activity, weapons, utility issues, storms, fires and other potential emergencies.
The Hartford Selectboard directed Twin Pines to prepare the safety plan “demonstrating meaningful collaboration with local social service agencies” after residents came out to express concerns about the safety and management of other Twin Pines-owned properties in Hartford, according to the motion approved in February.
In response to the proposal, Winter wrote that he would be open to a safety plan if it would require “collaboration” of the Police and Fire Departments “in working with (Twin Pines) staff and residents on processes and protocols for resident safety” and include annual safety meetings with residents, according to a letter from February.
Twin Pines owns 14 properties in Hartford, though not all are managed by the nonprofit. Residents and neighbors said they were worried about drug use and public safety issues, and alleged poor management.
In February, many residents said they were concerned about safety and crime at and near Twin Pines properties. The safety plan outlines how staff should manage criminal activity and work with police, and requires Hartford Police and Fire to hold annual meetings with residents.
The document also describes Twin Pines’ optional Resident Supportive Services, or RSS, program, that connects tenants to resources to help them “remain housed and avoid eviction while improving overall well-being.”
Twin Pines staff work directly with residents to connect them with resources such as healthcare, food, financial assistance, employment and childcare. RSS staff meet monthly with “local partners” like the Upper Valley Haven, the VA, Healthcare and Rehabilitation Services, WISE and other social service providers.
The nonprofit can’t force tenants to participate in the program. In the past year, about 85% of Twin Pines residents have used RSS services, according to the plan.
The nonprofit “welcome(s) feedback” from Hartford Police, Fire and other town departments and would use this feedback to finalize the plan, according to the memo.
Some elements are based on “assumptions about certain features of the property,” which has not been built yet and may change. Twin Pines will update the plan before the apartment complex is occupied, which is expected in mid-2028, and review it at least biannually.
The four-story apartment building will include a mix of one, two and three-bedroom units that will include subsidized apartments for households making up to 50% of the area median income, AMI, and non-subsidized units for households earning up to 60% and 80% of the AMI.
The total Twin Pines project is estimated to cost $22.2 million, according to the grant application, and is attached to a larger 192-unit market-rate apartment complex being built by Black Rock Investments.
The Hartford Selectboard is scheduled to meet Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Town Hall and a consideration of the proposed plan is on the agenda.
