By LEE BARBIERI
GUEST COLUMNIST
Next Monday, Weston residents will have the opportunity to vote for approval of the Highland Meadows over-55 community that we would like to develop on the former Paine property. Highland Meadows directly addresses the need for a broader spectrum of choices for senior housing in Weston. In addition, we addressed the greater issue of how to develop a large parcel of land with minimum impact on the environment while broadly enhancing the quality of life in the town.
When any property is altered for residential use it is changed forever. Some properties offer limited development choices and others offer many options. When we purchased the Paine property we had one option in mind — a premier over-55 community that is unmatched in beauty, amenities and environmental responsibility. I would like to comment on the care and considerations we applied in planning this special community and thank all those who worked with us.
In designing Highland Meadows, we put together the finest group of professionals available in any area. It is a rare opportunity to work with such a desirable property in a wonderful town and I wanted to do everything in the best way possible.
Working with these people, and the various Weston town committees, officials and other residents, has been more satisfying than any other project I have ever been involved with. There has been a lot of tough negotiation but we ended up with a result that the town can be proud of because we all had the same goal — create a senior neighborhood that embodies the endearing aspects of Weston life.
I have met with the neighbors who live near Highland Meadows. They have expressed concerns but have patiently and graciously listened to our plans and worked with us to mitigate their issues. These meetings led to compromises that ultimately make our development better for them and for us.
There is a fantastic group of Weston residents who share our vision regarding the need for senior housing and have dedicated enormous amounts of time in support of this project. Many of these residents would like to live in Highland Meadows. In fact, we have an interest list of over 225 families who await the outcome of Monday’s Town Meeting. Most of them now live in Weston but I have been contacted by several former Weston residents who would welcome the opportunity to return to Weston to live at Highland Meadows.
Not surprisingly, early on in the planning process, our project attracted the attention of affordable housing advocates. There are many dedicated people who work in support of mixed income, multi-family dwellings and their input has been helpful. As a result, Highland Meadows has 10 percent of the units designated as affordable and I have committed to construct an additional affordable unit offsite.
In the end, we have a plan that we are very proud of. It preserves traditional Weston architecture — all houses are custom designed, based on models derived from actual Weston homes. The property is laid out in a manner that preserves over 66 percent of the land as permanent green open space and the expansive vegetation buffers assure privacy both for and from Highland Meadows.
The state-of-the-art stormwater and wastewater treatment systems significantly reduce the environmental impact to the site. The traffic studies, including one by the town, confirm that Highland Meadows will produce significantly less traffic than any viable development option. Finally, Highland Meadows produces the largest net fiscal benefit to the town, producing approximately $750,000 per year or $7.5 million over 10 years. It is important to note that for every $1.00 of tax revenue that is collected from Highland Meadows, only 14 to 16 cents is expended to service the revenue.
We purchased the Paine property 15 months ago and with the help of many Weston officials, staff and residents put in a lot of hard work to make Highland Meadows a reality. It was designed to be the type of community that I would like my parents to live in and I hope they will.
Please support Highland Meadows as something that Weston needs and will cherish for years to come. Bring your friends and neighbors to the Town Meeting and vote for approval of Highland Meadows. Thank you.
Lee Barbieri is the managing partner of Highland Real Estate Development LLC.