Some of the Battle Road Farm condominiums near Hanscom Field.
The owners of the Battle Road Farm condos are facing a big financial hit to repair or replace its septic treatment plant this summer. The cost to replace the facility, which is more than 30 years old, and will be spread across the 120 units (48 of which are affordable), is estimated at $1.6–$2.1 million, according to Debra Daugherty of the development’s Board of Trustees.
The formula to determine each unit’s share of the cost is the same for all units based mostly on their “beneficial interest in the condo property,” which relates mainly to the size of the unit, according to Marcia Good, senior property manager at First Realty Management, which manages the development.
“Battle Road Farm’s on-site septic treatment facility is considered failing and the Mass. Department of Environmental Protection has ordered it repaired or replaced as soon as possible,” Good said. A bank loan for either $1 million or $1.1 million will cover the cost, and “the Board of Trustees will make a decision on the project scope soon,” Good said. “Battle Road Farm has maintained a significant reserve fund; however, it is not unusual for condo communities to make special assessments to cover major capital projects as properties age.”
All owners were first told that they would have to come up with an initial payment of $4,500 by March 1, but faced with the resulting outcry, the Board of Trustees approved a new plan offered by the management company. Owners may now choose to make a lump-sum interest-free payment of approximately $20,000 on that day, or pay in monthly installments (including interest) over 11 years starting on July 1. The specific loan payment amounts are not yet finalized, she said. Those who opt for the installment plan will receive a revised payment schedule in years nine, 10, and 11 because the last three years of loan are variable interest rates.
The project is creating a crisis for owners of affordable units. Many of them bought their homes decades ago and are now retired and living on fixed incomes, but property taxes and regular condo fees keep rising. And because those units have deed restrictions, any owner who wants to sell or mortgage their property must do so in cooperation with the state Department of Housing and Community Development, which determines the asking price.
“A lot of us can’t do that. I can’t do that,” said condo owner Leslie Kilgore, 75, a retired teacher in the Arlington schools who bought her unit in 1999. “I might have to go back to [substitute teaching]. I’m basically hanging on and hoping that something will come through.”
The Lincoln Foundation has already awarded grants to 17 owners of affordable units and is conducting a fundraising campaign (its first since 2009) to help others both this year and into the future. Battle Road Farm residents have also approached the Council on Aging and Human Development and the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lincoln and Weston for help.
The Lincoln Foundation is a private nonprofit 501(c)(3) entity that was created in 1968 to help preserve a diverse stock of housing in town. It partnered with the Massachusetts Housing Finance Authority in 1973 to develop Lincoln Woods and with a private developer to create the homeownership program at Battle Road Farm starting in 1990. More recently, the foundation has facilitated the resale of affordable deed restricted homes, and it’s also made a handful of home improvement grants to affordable housing owners at Battle Road Farm and Minuteman Commons.
After a flyer was recently mailed to all Lincoln residents about the issue, several donations have already come in, “and that’s encouraging,” said Terri Morgan, the organization’s president. To learn more and donate to the “Bridge the Gap” campaign, click here.
First Realty Management, which has managed Battle Road Farm since 2004, “has worked diligently and collaboratively with the Board of Trustees on the project plans and financial options for the septic treatment system” Good said. “Our property management team is cognizant of the financial impact such projects have on condominium owners and has worked to minimize the impact wherever possible in our advisory role with the board.”