Have a look at the latest rendering of the YMCA's proposal called Powder House Village. It is to scale and measurement by Ipswich architect Chris Doktor.

It's not bad. No, it isn't beautiful. It is big. But it's not bad.

The fronts of the two buildings along 1A are broken up so that there is an appearance similar to town houses. Structurally, sections of the building protrude while others recede. The siding of the different sections varies, as do their colors, so that the facade is not monolithic. The third floor dormers also serve to break up the face of the building.

Landscaping is indicated with 20 foot trees planned between the building and the sidewalk. They will soften the feeling of the buildings.

In addition it is important to visualize that the set back of the buildings is enhanced by a town right of way which varies from 10 to 25 feet along the length of the two buildings. That will be green space. The town right of way and the property set back combine to make reasonable frontage space.

Is it ideal? No, it is not the row of lovely colonial-type homes that one might like to see entering the town of Ipswich. But that property, sandwiched as it is between an auto dealer and the town garage, is unlikely to attract that kind of private home construction.

And these buildings are thoughtfully designed and will serve our town well.

First of all, Ipswich needs the affordable housing. With the median assessed value for an Ipswich home at $467,440, it is clear that even moderately priced homes are scarce. Our community needs housing to provide for elderly families on fixed incomes, to provide for young individuals and families on starting salaries, and to provide for the many who give us valuable labor but do not earn high salaries.

Secondly, Ipswich needs to raise its proportion of affordable housing in order to protect our open spaces from the exemptions to ordinary zoning which developers can earn by including a few units of affordable housing in their projects. Powder House Village will go a long way toward satisfying the state requirement and freeing the town from unwelcome developments.

Now let us be clear about some of the facts regarding Powder House Village.

The size of the project cannot be changed. Or at least, not much. The roofline has been lowered by two feet. Would it be nicer smaller? You bet. But affordable housing has a slim operating margin and to build housing which is exclusively affordable requires numbers. That is why 48 units is a minimum development.

The whole project was well considered by town government. For nine months the project was examined and voted upon in public hearings that included the Planning Board, the Conservation Commission, and the Zoning Board of Appeals.

And while the project sits on only 2.5 acres, it is part of the YMCA's adjacent 19 acres. The Y will be neighbors. The Y will also be supervising the management - which isn't a bad thing since the Y has experience in Beverly and Gloucester in managing affordable housing, and has traditionally been a provider of low income housing. The Y does not run shoddy operations.

But the project will be independent from the Y in one very important aspect, namely for tax purposes. Powder House Village will be a separate, for profit, corporation and will pay local property taxes. Some opponents got that one wrong.

Now it needs to be clear that I am a member of the board of the YMCA of the North Shore, and yes, I favor the project. The board has studied and approved the project. I believe the YMCA does good work and runs a positive, caring, competent enterprise. Fitness is only part of the Y mission. Powder House Village also fits in the mission, and would serve Ipswich in a very positive way.

I hope most citizens of Ipswich join me in thinking this is a good project.

Bill Wasserman is the former publisher of the Ipswich Chronicle.

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