Planning Board and developer working hard

By Stacey Hart
STAFF WRITER

The Planning Board is currently working carefully with the developer of the Highland Meadows development on the nuts and bolts of the upcoming project.

“We’re working with the developer to try and ensure that the design that we saw at Town Meeting is the design that we’re going to get on the site,” said Al Aydelott, chairman of the Planning Board.

The plan for the Highland Meadows development is a cluster subdivision that would put 69 homes on 44 acres on Highland Street, formerly known as the Paine Estate. As proposed, it will have 65 age-restricted homes for people over 55 years old and four units without any restriction. Seven units will be affordable.

“We’re getting into specific details about landscaping, building design, project scheduling, project documents like the master deed,” said Aydelott. “We’re also looking at the affordable housing component, engineering and those kinds of things.”

Mark Romanowicz, vice president of development for the project, said they formally filed for a special permit and site plan review on May 3 and the few discussions with the Planning Board so far have been beneficial.

“We have had a few informal meetings with the Planning Board over the last few months, reviewing the rules and regulations and our proposal from 2005, and what we should be doing,” he said. “The Planning Board’s been very diligent in making sure that we’re following the rules and regs of the AARD.”

The creation of the AARD (Active Adult Residential Development District) was needed before Highland Meadows could be built. This change in the town’s zoning bylaw allows for developments for people age 55 and older on land that is over 40 acres, excluding wetlands.

The housing would include a minimum of 10 percent affordable units and could not be used for any commercial purposes. No more than 1.5 units per acre, excluding affordable homes, would be allowed, with a maximum of four units per building.

In addition, at least 45 percent of the land must be undisturbed and restored open space, and a perimeter buffer would be placed in a permanent conservation easement.

Before any project can be built, it needs the approval of a two-thirds vote at Town Meeting. Highland Meadows is the first, and maybe only, opportunity for the town to make use of the AARD.

The first public hearing on the Highland Meadows project was scheduled for last night after press deadlines. Prior to the hearing, Aydelott said they had a list of items to discuss.

“We’ll be talking about project phasing, construction phasing, landscaping, screen planting around the perimeter of the project and the status of the affordable housing pieces,” he said.

Romanowicz said they hoped to get through all of the items on the agenda, but planned to spend as much time as needed discussing each of the topics, so they might not finish everything in the time allowed.

This is the first of several hearings the Planning Board expects to have on the project.
“It’s a big body of work and we’re just chipping away at it,” Aydelott said. “It’s going to take as long as it takes to get all of the pieces reviewed and discussed.”

Both groups agree the discussions so far have been positive. The developer is being very cooperative and the Planning Board is optimistic, Aydelott said.

“(The Planning Board’s) been supportive, but very careful about making sure we’re doing what we represented in 2005. They’ve been very good,” Romanowicz said.

Stacey Hart can be reached at 508-626-4439 or shart@cnc.com