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Developer adds affordable units to Twin Brooks apartment plan

Building designs for the proposed Emblem Hyannis apartments are shown in two color schemes.
LMC
Building designs for the proposed Emblem Hyannis apartments are shown in two color schemes.

The company that wants to build apartments on the Twin Brooks golf course property in Hyannis says it will put deed restrictions on 10 additional units to designate them as affordable housing, for a total of 41 affordable units.

That’s out of 312 apartments in the complex proposed for 35 Scudder Ave.

Developer Lennar Multifamily Communities, or LMC, made the change in response to the concerns of a Cape Cod Commission subcommittee, according to Brian Dugdale, an attorney speaking on behalf of the company.

“We think the market-rate units that we're bringing to the community are much needed and will provide a huge benefit,” he said. “But we did hear the concerns of the subcommittee, who asked for an increase in the affordable housing component of the project.”

The apartment complex, called Emblem Hyannis, has drawn significant opposition. Opponents say at least part of the 40-acre golf course should be saved as open space or a park for densely populated Hyannis.

Opponents have also criticized the building design, saying the buildings are too large and don’t look like New England architecture.

The plan meets Cape Cod Commission guidelines for design, commission planner Sarah Korjeff said.

“We talked about gable roof forms being included, inset porches, and projecting entries, to provide a little bit of variation on the facades of the structure and break them up a bit,” she said.

A commission subcommittee handling the project discussed issues of affordability and design at a meeting on Tuesday.

The group plans to examine traffic and transportation issues for the property on May 31.

Jennette Barnes is a reporter and producer. Named a Master Reporter by the New England Society of News Editors, she brings more than 20 years of news experience to CAI.