A Harvard resident has proposed construction of a house with separate apartments on an undeveloped property at the intersection of Poor Farm and Ayer roads. Grant MacLean of Littleton Road, the prospective buyer of the land, and Steve Nigzus of Harvard Realty made the proposal to the Planning Board at its Jan. 7 meeting. For the project to proceed, the Planning Board would need to grant a bylaw variance.
The property, 132 Poor Farm Road, is located north of the intersection with Ayer Road. It consists of three acres of wooded land and has been on the market for approximately 1.5 years, during which time its price has dropped to about $250,000. According to Nigzus, “It is very difficult to engage someone who wants to buy it, by virtue of the fact that it is so close to the commercial district.”
MacLean hopes to construct a house on the property augmented by a separate garage building containing one or more apartments, which could be rented out. He noted that these plans are still in their infancy and that the specifics could be changed as needed. He expects that, if the town allows it, he would be ready to begin work within a year.
According to Director of Community and Economic Development Chris Ryan, the proposal is a variation on the guidelines laid out in Harvard’s current clustered housing bylaw. This bylaw is intended to preserve open space and increase the variety of housing types available in Harvard by allowing developers to construct higher density housing in a small area of a large parcel in exchange for leaving other areas untouched. The Planning Board is currently aiming to propose some alteration to the bylaw at an upcoming town meeting, as the bylaw has seen minimal use in its current form.
Nigzus noted that allowing the project to advance would help increase the variety of housing available in Harvard, a point on which Planning Board member Stacia Donahue agreed. Planning Board member Justin Brown countered, stating that he might not be comfortable setting the precedent that the board would make exceptions to existing bylaws. Ryan suggested that MacLean return with a more detailed plan outlining some benefit to the town that could be offered in exchange for the variance, saying “You could do a lot of creative open spaces even on a site as compact as three acres.” He also noted that the project would likely be easier to pursue if it could be delayed until after the planned changes to the clustered housing bylaw take effect.
The Planning Board has authorized Ryan to check with town counsel whether it is legal for the board to grant a variance to the project. Nigzus and MacLean indicated that they would return to a later meeting with more detailed plans, though they did not specify when.
