Debbie Anacki and David Traggorth talk about the Cable Mills apartment complex on Wednesday evening.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The marketing team behind the Cable Mills apartment complex was at Town Hall on Wednesday to urge anyone interested to inquire about applying for one of the project's 13 affordable housing units.

 

"A lot of people think they're not qualified," said Debbie Anacki of property manager Hall Keen of Norwood. "Always ask. We want folks to call us with those questions. You'd be surprised who could qualify.

 

"It doesn't have anything to do with having $100,000 in the bank or $200,000 in the bank."

 

It does have to do with household income, and households earning up to 80 percent of the area median income (as determined by the Department of Housing and Urban Development) qualify to rent one of the one-, two- or three-bedroom apartments at a reduced rate.

 

The 13 affordable units in the 61-apartment complex are the result of the $1.5 million in Community Preservation Act funds that are subsidizing the renovation of the historic Water Street mill.

 

A single person qualifies with an income between $37,020 and $46,100. A family of four qualifies with an income up to $65,800. More income levels are available on the town's website.

 

A lottery to determine the first 13 households who will occupy the affordable units will be held Oct. 15. The deadline to enter the lottery is Sept. 30, Anacki said.

 

As of Wednesday, developers had received a few applicants, but none that qualified. That should not stop other potential tenants from applying for the units, which David Traggorth of Mitchell Properties emphasized are "affordable, not low income."

 

"If you're a family of four making $60,000 a year, there are a lot of people who fit within that category," Traggorth said. "Teachers, nurses, police officers.

 

"When we were trying to figure out when to have this presentation, we [decided on 5:30 p.m.] because all the people who qualify have a job, unless they're retirees, we need to make this at an accessible time for folks. So here we are."

 

Wednesday's presentation in the Selectmen's Meeting Room appeared to draw just one participant who was asking questions on her own behalf. Other attendees included members of the town's Affordable Housing Committee.

 

Anacki and Hall Keen's Anne Dooley have been giving similar presentations around the area, seeking to drum up interest among qualified applicants, the said.

 

"We've spread out to the college, certainly there are members of the Williams staff who would qualify," Traggorth said. "We're also talking to larger employers further south. We've reached out to Bennington and Albany. We're casting the net pretty wide."

 

For more information about the Cable Mills project, visit www.cablemills.com.