February 2, 2025 – Local News
IPSWICH — A new, affordable duplex is slated for construction at 21 Leslie Road in Ipswich.
The Ipswich Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) granted a special permit for the project on Thursday night, paving the way for Essex County Habitat for Humanity to construct the two-family home.
“I’m very pleased that this … is going to be a Habitat for Humanity affordable housing,” ZBA member Ben Fierro said. “It’s a real plus for the community.”
Each unit is expected to sell for roughly $240,000, according to Meegan O’Neil, executive director of Essex County Habitat for Humanity. It will also be permanently deed-restricted, preserving its affordability in the long term.
This will give two families a unique opportunity: to purchase a home in Ipswich at an affordable starter price, O’Neil said.
“There’s not a lot of chances to do that in Ipswich today, so I’m really excited that we’re going to be able to do this,” she said.
The classic New England colonial-style duplex will be built on a 3.81-acre vacant parcel owned by the Ipswich Housing Authority. It will feature two three-bedroom units of 1,350 square feet each.
The main bedroom and bathroom for each unit will be located on the first floor of the two-story home to accommodate older or disabled residents, according to the application packet.
Habitat for Humanity also said in the packet that it intends to build an “all-electric home” equipped to support solar power and an electric vehicle.
The home will use a septic system, well water, and WaterSense fixtures that use less water than standard products, O’Neil said. The group has not yet determined where it will put the well.
The duplex will also have four parking spaces — two for each unit.
ZBA chair Bob Gambale said he liked the project but expressed concerns about the double front doors. He asked if the plan could be altered slightly so that there would only be a single door visible to the street.
“I’m basing that on the longstanding practice that we have about structures maintaining the look of single-family homes,” Gambale said.
Architect Fran Wood said Gambale’s request is a “simple fix.” The duplex could have a single front door that leads into a “mudroom” with individual doors leading to each unit, he said.
Two abutters also raised their own concerns about the project. Linebrook resident Frank Raimo said he didn’t think a duplex would fit in the neighborhood and would change its “quality of life.”
“I just think a duplex is out of place,” Raimo said. “I just don’t know how else it will positively impact the area, although I think Habitat for Humanity does great things.”
Raimo also worried about potential increases to traffic, the privacy and safety of children playing on front lawns, and the potential strain another development could put on water supply.
Ipswich’s zoning bylaw allows for two-family homes in single-family districts and it has for decades, according to Glenn Gibbs who represented the Ipswich Housing Authority.
It’s also likely that the families that move in will have children and share Raimo’s concerns about neighborhood safety, Gibbs added.
“It’s hard for me to imagine that adding those two units in this house at that location is going to have any kind of negative effect on the neighborhood,” he said.
Another abutter, Melanie Equi, said she was also very concerned about the strain the duplex could put on water. All of the homes on Linebrook Road rely on wells, she said.
“I mean, we worry about the droughts, being able to flush toilets, take showers,” Equi said. “We don’t know how many more people are going to be living there.”
In addition to having WaterSense fixtures, the project will be subject to Ipswich’s water use mitigation fee, which helps fund water-saving projects in town. The fee is $1,500 per bedroom, Fierro said, so the applicant will be paying $9,000 in water-mitigation fees.
“One to two families is not going to change the drought conditions,” said Rich Kallman, the legal representative for the project. “We’re all going to live with whatever conditions come down the pike throughout Ipswich.”
The affordable duplex is a “tremendous opportunity for Ipswich,” and Kallman said he can’t see any way it would cause a detriment to the neighborhood.
The ZBA unanimously approved the special permit request with the condition that it does not have two visible front doors.
“I think it’s something that all Ipswich residents should be excited about,” Kallman said.