OXFORD — About 50 residents turned out for a public hearing on the proposed redevelopment of the former Thompson Woolen Mill into affordable senior housing.

Suzanne Decavele, real estate acquisitions director for The Caleb Group of Lynn, Massachusetts, was joined by Andy Jackson of Dovetail Consulting in Portland and Stephen Bushey of Gorrill Palmer in South Portland to present facts of the project and answer questions from the public.

Following the hearing, Oxford’s planning board voted to approve the project. The Caleb Group’s initial development application was denied by the planning board on Jan. 11 due to an ordinance that limits rental apartments to 50 units per property. The project plan calls for 77 units. Last month the town’s appeals board granted a variance that exempts the developer from the 50-unit maximum.

The Caleb Group purchased the mill last November with plans to bring affordable housing options to the Oxford Hills area. The nonprofit owns and operates 30 similar properties throughout New England, including seven in Maine.

Redeveloping the former mill will require site abatement work, demolition of some structures and preservation of buildings with historic significance.

The 77 apartments will be built in phases, with 30 to be completed first and another 47 to follow. Twenty-one will be Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible.

To qualify, renters must be over the age of 62 and earn no more than 60% in Area Median Income (AMI). Using current data, for a single person annual income cannot exceed $31,860; for a household of two the maximum income would be $36,420. Monthly rent, using today’s dollars, is projected to be $853.

Local response to the project was mixed, with some speakers seemingly convinced the apartment complex will become home to illegal immigrants – or anyone not already residing in the town of Oxford.

Decavele, Bushey and Jackson acknowledged that housing discrimination is illegal and beyond their control, but stressed that the criteria used to qualify potential residents requires that regional residency and income are confirmed.

One King Street resident, Sharon Jackson, opposed the plan on the basis that onsite parking will not be sufficient. The plan calls for 90 parking spots be built during the first construction phase, with room for another 26 to be added later. The plan complies with current town ordinance that requires 1.5 parking spaces per unit.

Jackson express concerns about potential street parking and travel congestion along King Street, especially during summer when Pismo Beach and ball fields are heavily used.

She also said that the hardship appeal made by The Caleb Group when filing for exemption from the 50-unit exemption was not properly considered and accepted by the appeals board.

June Mosher, another King Street neighbor, concurred, saying she supports the concept of affordable housing in Oxford but not at such increased volume.

But several other residents of the neighborhood spoke up to say they welcome the project and are pleased the dilapidated mill will be rehabilitated and put to good use.

The Caleb Group has conducted a traffic study of the streets surrounding the mill. The study confirms that additional residents of retirement age are unlikely to increase King Street traffic by more than two dozen vehicles during peak commute times.

It was also pointed out by residents at the meeting that before Thompson Mills ceased operations it employed about 300 people who mostly drove to and from the complex.

A few people in attendance argued that with only a handful of permanent local jobs created by the project and increased demand for public services and utilities Oxford will see higher municipal costs and no benefit to the town.

But the sewer department has operated at well below capacity and at a financial deficit since it opened 12 years ago. To date, town officials have not been successful at efforts to increase public sewer use.

Another local benefit to the town, according to developers, will be that as senior citizens downsize from their own homes housing opportunities will open for younger people with families wishing to move to the area.

“We are excited to have reached this major milestone, which will allow us to unlock others on our way to develop 77 units of much-needed affordable housing in Oxford,” said Decavele in an email statement. “And we are thankful for everyone who came to the public hearing tonight to inquire about the project and offer their support.”

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