As the first major development in several years, Oak Tree Village fills a critical void of affordable housing for Griswold, Connecticut. Built on previously vacant and unused land that had fallen into disrepair, Oak Tree features contemporary buildings and lush open spaces for residents to enjoy.
The 72-unit development offers a mix of affordable and market-rate units, with 44 set aside for households earning 60% or less of the area median income (AMI).
PROJECT DETAILS
Location: Griswold, Connecticut
Developer and Builder: Dakota Partners
Architect: Kaplan Thompson
Opened: February 2021
Number of Units: 72
Unit Mix: One- and two-bedrooms
Rents: $473 to $1,818
“Our goal as the developer was to create a wide range of affordability and a true mixed-use community. As such, we were able to create units that are as low as 25% of the AMI and as high as 120% of the AMI,” noted the award nomination. “Due to income-averaging, we are able to maintain our compliance with low-income housing tax credit income restrictions.”
Developed by Dakota Partners and designed by architect Kaplan Thompson, Oak Tree Village features traditional New England architecture and was built according to passive house standards, utilizing super insulation, airtight building envelope and heat-recovery ventilation systems to reduce overall energy consumption. It has received the stringent PHIUS+ Core certification.
In addition, the community features a playground and a clubhouse with storage lockers, a fitness room, bike storage, and common areas for all residents to enjoy. Each unit contains a dishwasher and a microwave in addition to other energy-efficient appliances.