MWCD is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community development corporation founded in 1991. Our mission is to create and preserve affordable housing and undertake programs and policies that help our target communities reach and maintain their affordable housing goals. Since 2009, MWCD has worked in Natick and has supported affordable housing efforts, lotteries, and down payment assistance programs in the community. MWCD was selected as the developer for the redevelopment of 5 Auburn Street by the Natick Select Board in Spring 2023 after a Request for Proposals process.

The Natick Select Board conducted an in-depth, ten-month process to select a developer for the redevelopment of the Town owned property at 5 Auburn Street (former Eliot School). In September 2022, the Select Board released a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit responses for the sale, re-use, and preservation of 5 Auburn Street. The selection criteria in the RFP considered proposed re-use of the property, qualifications of the developer, and ability to execute, including financial plans.

On October 13, 2022, MWCD submitted an RFP response along with several other proposals. The MWCD response included the historic renovation of the former Eliot School and construction of a new building to create a total of 32 high-quality, affordable apartments on the site. The Select Board conducted a rigorous review of proposals, including public interviews and community input. In March 2023, the Select Board voted to enter into a Development Agreement with MWCD, noting their response as the most advantageous proposal. 

In June 2023, the Town of Natick and MWCD finalized a Development Agreement to develop 5 Auburn Street into 32 units of affordable housing.

MWCD’s proposal includes the creation of 32 high-quality affordable apartments for households at and below 60% AMI and 30% AMI. The preservation of the Eliot School’s historic architecture is a top priority for the project. A second three-story building is planned to be constructed, which will be ADA accessible and will pursue Passive House Certification. The existing Eliot School building will include apartments, as well as a community room and office space for the property manager. MWCD will purchase the site from the Town of Natick and maintain ownership of the property. All apartments created will remain 100% affordable in perpetuity.

Funding sources used for affordable housing projects like 5 Auburn Street set requirements for the number of units a project must have to qualify for the funding.  These funding sources also set requirements for bedroom sizes and distribution of 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments. 

The 32 proposed apartments for the development are needed to support these funding requirements and support the significant costs required for historic preservation of the school, site work needed to introduce a stormwater management system, and a high-quality development.  

For these reasons, the number of apartments proposed through the Select Board RFP process have remained consistent through the permit process.

The design has been informed by numerous meetings with Town boards and committees, community members, and neighbors, and an updated design and memo responding to Town comments were submitted to the Zoning Board of Appeals on January 23, 2025. These updates can be found on the ZBA Submission page. 

The community benefits proposed including affordability, number of apartments, and sustainability goals remain unchanged. The proposal also still includes preservation of the historic school building and construction of a new, second building on the site. 

Updates include changes to civil, landscape, and architectural plans of the new building. Notably, the new building design has been updated to reduce and redistribute the building massing, introduce slopped roofs, and introduce design features that reflect a greater relationship with the Eliot School building and the neighborhood. To increase green space and incorporate other feedback, parking has also been updated to propose 41 spaces. 

Right now, housing is the single best investment every community across the Commonwealth can make to secure the future we all want and deserve. The Town of Natick’s updated 2021 Housing Production Plan (HPP) and 2030+ Master Plan both identify the need for increasing the local affordable housing stock in addition to increasing housing for the full range of income levels. According to the HPP, nearly one-third of the Town’s renters and homeowners are housing cost-burdened, which means they pay more than 30% or more of their income towards housing. When households spend this much on housing, it strains budgets for other needs like groceries, health care, education, and childcare.

According to Housing Navigator MA, of the approximately 1,500 Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) units in Natick, approximately 837 units are affordable apartments (as of June 29, 2023). Of these 837 affordable apartments, 541 are age restricted, leaving 296 apartments for other individuals and families. Housing Navigator also indicates the Town’s rental vacancy is about 1% (2020-2021 data), which reflects high demand and a tight rental market that is consistent across many of the Commonwealth’s towns. 

The proposed development for 5 Auburn Street will help address the significant demand for affordable housing in Natick by providing 32 new affordable rental apartments to the Town’s SHI and affordable housing goals. 

Area Median Income (AMI) is the midpoint of a region’s income distribution. Half of families in a region earn more than the median and half earn less. AMI is calculated annually by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and is used to determine income eligibility of renters for properties that receive tax credits and subsidies for affordable housing. Eligibility is set at a percentage of the AMI, which is usually less than 100%. Exact income limits depend on the size of the household and are adjusted every year by HUD.

Apartments that are restricted to households earning up to 60% AMI have rents set by the Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Program. The Federal LIHTC Program sets maximum rents based on the metro area median income, and rents may be further reduced to account for utilities paid by residents. Final rents for the 60% AMI apartments will be set when the apartments are advertised and leased.

In our proposal, households in 30% AMI apartments pay a set percentage of household income for rent, typically 30%, with the remainder covered by a rental subsidy.

The HUD metro area for Natick is the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro Fair Market Rent Area, and Income limits for 30% and 60% households in 2025 are below.

Household Size | 30% | 60%

1 Person | $34,740 | $69,480

2 Person | $39,720 | $79,440

3 Person | $44,670 | $89,340

4 Person | $49,620 | $99,240

Source: Novogradac Rent & Income Limits 2025, Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area

Some sample resident profiles at 30% and 60% area median income levels are below. Salary data is from publicly available sources including the Town of Natick website, and actual resident profiles will differ.

30% Area Median Income (AMI) Apartments

• A retired senior receiving the average monthly Social Security benefit paid to retired workers in Massachusetts, $1,910 as of 12/31/22 (1-bedroom apartment).

• A part-time custodian at Natick Public Schools earning $21,000 annually (1-bedroom apartment).

• A full-time coffee shop barista making minimum wage earning approximately $33,000 annually (1-bedroom apartment).

60% Area Median Income (AMI) Apartments

• A couple with one adult working in food services in Natick earning $39,815 annually and the other earning minimum wage in a full-time position at Natick Mall (1-bedroom apartment).

• Two new parents and their baby – one parent is a full-time staff accountant in Natick’s Finance Department earning $80,000/year, the other is a full-time caretaker for their child (2-bedroom apartment). 

• A family of four (2 adults and 2 dependents), with one adult a Natick Administrative Assistant in the Collectors office earning approximately $50,000 annually and the total household income less than $99,240 (3-bedroom apartment).

5 Auburn Street is located in the John Eliot Historic District and in a unique location surrounded by commercial, religious, and residential buildings. The historic district is generally uniform in scale, with most buildings rising between two and three stories in height. The immediate neighborhood around 5 Auburn Street offers a variety of residential housing and commercial buildings and includes single family homes, condos, mixed use buildings, and small apartments. The proposed development at 5 Auburn Street has been designed to be compatible with the existing Eliot School building in size, scale, and location.

Yes, the Eliot School is a historical treasure of the South Natick community, and the site redevelopment offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to restore this community asset. MWCD’s proposal includes the preservation and re-use of the Eliot School into nine one-bedroom apartments, gymnasium into community space, and office space for the property manager. The front lawn and historic sightlines of the school will also be maintained. 

Substantial work is needed to enhance and preserve the building, and there will be selective repairs and upgrades to the structure. 

The Massachusetts Historical Commission and National Park Service have reviewed project plans and determined the design meets the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Rehabilitation of Historic Properties. In addition, the Massachusetts Historical Commission has determined there will be no adverse effects to the school as part of the proposed development.

As outlined in our Development Agreement with the Town of Natick, MWCD has applied for a Comprehensive Permit to the Natick Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) under MGL Chapter 40B. Chapter 40B is a state statute that enables local ZBAs to review affordable housing and mixed-income developments under a streamlined permitting process. 

The first step in the process is to submit an application for a Project Eligibility Letter (PEL) from a state subsidizing agency (in this case, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, “EOHLC”). EOHLC determines that the project is generally eligible under subsidy programs, the site is generally appropriate for residential development, and the design and budget are generally feasible. Town input is also included. The PEL does NOT approve a project for funding nor provide permits or approvals for design. Once a PEL is received, an application is then submitted to the ZBA to begin the local permit process. This development will also submit a Notice of intent Application (NOI) to the Natick Conservation Commission during the ZBA process.

Metro West CD submitted the PEL application on May 24, 2024, and received the letter of eligibility from EOHLC on September 26th, 2024. MWCD submitted a comprehensive permit application to the ZBA on October 1, 2024.

MWCD submitted a comprehensive permit application to the Zoning Board of Appeals on October 1, 2024. The ZBA opened the hearing on October 28, 2024 and hearing dates for the proposal are: 

• November 18, 2024 

• December 9, 2024 

• January 13, 2025 (hearing continued) 

• February 10, 2025 

• March 3, 2025 (added) 

• March 31, 2025 

• May 12, 2025 (added) 

Yes, a Transportation Impact Assessment (TIA) was conducted by Vanasse & Associates, Inc. (VAI) in May 2024 to review the existing traffic conditions in the area and projected traffic impacts of the project. The assessment found that traffic related to the proposed development will not result in significant increases in overall traffic volumes or delays within the area and can be accommodated by the existing infrastructure. Traffic volume increases due to the project range from 1 to 8 vehicles per hour during peak hours and fewer vehicles per hour during other times of day.

The TIA also reviewed the width of Auburn Street for travel and emergency vehicle access. Auburn Street fluctuates between 19.5 and 22 feet wide, which is within the typical minimum widths of 18 to 22 feet for roadways allowing two-way travel with parking on one side. There are no signs restricting parking on the street currently. Delivery vehicles, garbage trucks, and fire trucks all require the entire width of Auburn Street to turn into and out of Eliot Street and the existing driveways at 5 Auburn Street. To maintain emergency vehicle and other access to all buildings on the street and to the site, the TIA recommends that the Town prohibit parking on Auburn Street within 30 feet of the Eliot Street intersection (per standard MUTCD recommendations) and also in front of 4 Auburn Street and 6 Auburn Street, across from the existing driveways. This recommendation would apply to any use at 5 Auburn Street, including if the building were used as a school.

Existing traffic conditions on Eliot Street (Route 16) were also studied and identified in consultation with the Town of Natick Planning and Public Works Departments. Existing intersection configurations result in significant vehicle queueing unrelated to the development and recommendations for small potential improvements are included in the traffic study.

Yes, peer review of the Traffic Impact Analysis and Definitive Site Plan included in the January updated design were completed in February 2025 by the Town’s selected firm, McFarland Johnson. The firm visited the development site and reviewed information including the methodologies and data used for the traffic study and site plan details. 

The peer review comments generally agreed with the methodology used for the Traffic Impact Analysis, which found that the development will not create significant increases to traffic. Recommendations for minor improvement of the Site Plan were also included. 

Representatives from McFarland Johnson presented their findings and recommendations to the ZBA during the February 10, 2025 hearing. 

MWCD is proposing creating 41 parking spaces. This number was adjusted from the initial proposal of 45 spaces after incorporating requests to reduce the parking lot and increase green space on the site. The 41 spaces are consistent with the findings of the Traffic Impact Analysis completed by MWCD’s consultant and reviewed by the Town’s peer reviewer. The supply remains above the parking demand in the Perfect Fit Parking Report (rate of 0.90 spaces/unit or 29 spaces) and that suggested by MWCD’s own Medway property (rate of 0.98 spaces/unit or 32 spaces). The MWCD Medway property has 61 available spaces and 47 registered vehicles for 48 units, resulting in the 0.98 space/unit demand rate. 

Four parking spaces at 5 Auburn Street will be ADA accessible, and nine spaces will be for “compact” vehicles. There will be 9 spaces constructed with EV charging stations or EV-Ready for future charging stations. The number of parking spaces was increased from the 33 spaces included in MWCD’s original RFP response after incorporating community feedback.

Currently, there are no existing stormwater management systems on the site and stormwater runoff from the southeast paved parking and driveway areas flow untreated towards the river. To enhance the resiliency of the site and introduce stormwater treatment, MWCD proposes to incorporate a combination of subsurface infiltration systems and Low Impact Development techniques such as bioretention areas designed to meet MA Department of Environmental Protection Stormwater Management Handbook Standards. This approach ensures runoff rates remain at or below the existing conditions of the site, despite adding impervious paved surface, while providing water quality treatment and recharge. 

The proposed stormwater management system will provide pretreatment of all stormwater from the paved parking and driveway areas and provide storage volume for treated stormwater. These proposed best management practices will detain and infiltrate runoff, mitigating increased rates and volumes of runoff for 2-, 10-, 25-, and 100-year storm events.

The site design is sensitive to the proximity of the Charles River and resources areas. In summer 2023, MWCD conducted an existing conditions survey which indicated that the Riverfront Area (RFA) and wetlands areas were further inland than initially indicated by the Town in its 2022 RFP. 

As a result, MWCD worked with the Natick Conservation Commission to establish an Order of Resource Area Delineation (ORAD) in April 2024 that finalizes the river resource areas. The ORAD found that the site is not located in an Estimated/Priority Habitat for Rare Species, does not contain Certified Vernal Pools, and is not located in an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The development is outside of environmentally sensitive areas including the 40-foot No Build Zone. 

As part of the existing conditions survey, invasive species were identified on the property and a removal and ongoing maintenance plan will be developed with the Natick Conservation Commission to support river restoration and improve the wildlife habitat. The plan will be developed in a future Notice of Intent Application (NOI) process with the Conservation Commission, which will be filed during the ZBA process.

The design is also sensitive to the climate change impacts of flooding. The new building is well elevated above the 100-year floodplain and has been designed as slab on grade without a basement to enhance resiliency. The proposed elevation of the slab for the new building is approximately 14 feet higher than the floodplain elevation, and the site has been designed to meet expected future flood resiliency requirements.

The proposed landscape plan includes preserving existing trees to the extent practicable and adding native and naturalized trees, shrubs, and groundcover to maximize screening at the property lines. The historic lawn will be preserved for passive recreation and landscaping will provide screening for parked vehicles at the front of the school. Proposed invasive species removal along the steep bank of the Charles River will be replaced with native plantings and/or a New England wildlife seed mix.

MWCD’s approach to sustainability includes creating new, modern, and highly energy-efficient buildings as well as creatively adapting and modernizing existing structures.
The development will adhere to very high standards of sustainable building design. The new building will be developed to Passive House standards for energy efficiency, be all electric, and will also explore feasibility for solar readiness. The renovations to the school building will improve energy efficiency while balancing historic preservation requirements. The school will receive upgrades such as new electric heat pump heating and cooling systems, added insulation, and low flow plumbing fixtures.

MWCD has retained The Public Archaeology Lab, Inc. (PAL), a consulting firm that has deep experience with sensitive historic sites. PAL performed a sensitive and intensive archaeological survey in May 2024 as authorized by the Massachusetts Historic Commission (MHC). The archaeological survey included approximately 20 locations that were sensitively hand dug throughout the site. The items identified during the exploration were a small deposit with a type of stone projectile point and stone tool manufacturing or maintenance debris. The results led MHC to determine no further archaeological studies are warranted for the development as proposed.

Prior to the survey work, PAL notified the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head/Aquinnah, and the Nipmuc Tribal Nation.

Screening around outdoor building equipment is included in MWCD’s proposal and renderings submitted to the ZBA. Screening will serve as both visual and sound barriers for equipment that will be located on top of the new building and behind the Eliot School. The equipment is also proposed to be located at the back of the site, which is the farthest away from neighboring buildings.

MWCD has taken a careful approach to the lighting design, and a photometric plan for proposed lighting has been included in MWCD’s ZBA application. Plans have been designed to provide a level of light and safety contextually appropriate for the surrounding uses, and MWCD intends to use fixtures that are Dark Sky approved. Metro West CD has included waiver R in its list of zoning waivers for this Project to permit site lighting between 11:00pm and 6:00am and to ensure light levels and hours that meet standards for safe and code-compliant lighting.

Landscaping throughout the site has been designed to maintain privacy for neighbors around 5 Auburn Street. Proposed plantings for large tree species line Auburn Street to offer screening from the new building. A 6-foot solid board fence is also proposed on the west side of the property.

The number of residential windows facing Auburn Street has also been minimized through modifications of the new building footprint since MWCD’s RFP response.

As included in the Development Agreement between MWCD and the Town of Natick, there will be a local preference consistent with state and federal law and subject to approval by subsidizing agencies. Seventy percent of eligible apartments will be subject to a local preference for residents of the Town of Natick, employees of the Town of Natick, and employees of businesses located within the Town of Natick, and historically marginalized populations within Natick.

Thank you for your interest and engagement with the redevelopment of 5 Auburn Street. Comments can be shared via email with 5Auburn@metrowestcd.org. Community comments have informed every stage of our design, and MWCD is keeping track of your feedback. Comments are being considered, incorporated, and responded to as we move through the stages of the ZBA process. Common questions that we receive will also be added to this FAQ.