Wayland housing trust rebids 12 Hammond after $1 million bid rejected

WAYLAND -- October 23, 2023, Wayland's affordable housing trust restarts bidding at 12 Hammond after a $1,017,000 lone bid blew up the budget. The Municipal Affordable Housing Trust voted unanimously Monday to authorize Chair Michael Staiti to issue a fresh RFP aimed at a nonprofit builder, likely Habitat for Humanity, and approved up to $1,500 to deregister the parcel from Land Court so it can be condominiumized alongside the existing 11 Hammond unit. Attorney Laura Kaplan said using a nonprofit avoids public-construction cost drivers like prevailing wage and gives a future buyer a financeable condo rather than a "complicated ground lease." Trust members, including Mary M. Antes, said the rejected bid was roughly double a reasonable $400-per-square-foot benchmark. Member Susan Weinstein reported the trust still has no treasurer and cannot get answers from town finance staff on two CDs, one of which matured Sept. 20.