Two Developments Proposed In Southborough
MetroWest-based developer Robert Moss has been in discussions with officials in Southborough about two developments in town.
One is a 140-unit affordable housing project, according to Jean Kitchen, Southborough's town manager.
The other is a smaller cluster development of homes geared for retirement-age residents, she said.
Both projects are in the preliminary planning stages, according to Eric Denoncourt, Southborough town planner, but Moss has gotten the ball rolling on each.
But between now and the time that shovels go in the ground, a lot can change.
Big Plans, Small Town
The 10-unit cluster development could change quite a bit if Southborough officials choose to exercise their right to stop the project.
The land, which has frontage on Deerfoot Road near Route 9, is classified under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 61A, for agricultural use. Despite the land being zoned residential, it is taxed at the rate charged to open-space parcels, which is less expensive.
According to state regulations, if Chapter 61A-classified land is sold, the municipality where that land is located has a first right of refusal to purchase the property, according to Kitchen. The idea behind the law is to give the community an opportunity to keep land as open space.
Moss, according to Kitchen and Denoncourt, informed the town in late April that he has entered into an agreement to purchase the land from the Boston-based Lauredo Realty Trust for $1.2 million. Denoncourt said there are some back taxes on the property as well.
Kitchen said the town now has until August to decide if it will make an offer on the land for that same price. She said officials have reached out to some local and state land trust organizations to see if they are interested in the property, but so far none have been willing to supply the necessary cash for a purchase.
Meanwhile, Moss is also in the early stages of another, much larger development.
In the past few weeks Moss submitted to the town a conceptual design for a 140-unit affordable housing development near Crystal Pond Road's intersection with Route 9.
Southborough is in need of additional affordable housing. State regulations known as Chapter 40B encourage communities to have at least 10 percent of their housing stock certified as affordable, which means residents under a certain income amount would be able to afford the home. Southborough, according to the most recent stage figures, has less than 4 percent of its housing stock classified as affordable by the state.
One of the first steps in getting a project approved under 40B is for it to be certified by the state. In order to do that, Denoncourt said the state encourages developers to meet with community officials to discuss the plans. That's the stage Moss is at now, Denoncourt said.
Moss has proposed to construct 84 one-bedroom apartments and 56 two-bedroom apartments on the 16.7-acre property, according to Kitchen.
Denoncourt said because it would likely be a 40B project, it would be reviewed by the town's zoning board of appeals, which would seek input from various other town boards and departments. As part of the conceptual design, Denoncourt said, Moss has also proposed to construct a wastewater treatment facility at the site.
Denoncourt expects both projects to be discussed by local permitting groups in the coming weeks and months.
Moss, who lives in Westborough, could not be reached for comment.
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