SOUTH DEERFIELD — Futures Unlimited developer Mark Wightman will present a definitive plan for a senior housing development on Sugarloaf Street to the Planning Board Tuesday at 7 p.m.
“We look forward to presenting our comprehensive definitive plan for our senior housing project named ‘The Condominiums at Sugarloaf’ to the Planning Board and townspeople of Deerfield,” Wightman said in an email about the upcoming public hearing.
Wightman, a South Deerfield resident, has built other developments in the region — of note, a 13-lot subdivision on Phyllis Lane in Greenfied in the early 2000s.
The proposed Sugarloaf Street project will consist of 35 duplex buildings, for a total of 70 dwellings.
The subdivision’s 27-page site plan, created by SVE Associates and available for public viewing at the Town Offices upon request, outlines 70 dwellings, each with two parking spaces on 22.8 acres of farmland behind Mountain Road, accessible via Sugarloaf Street.
If approved, the subdivisions could be customizable. The homes could be made fully accessible and include other amenities such as a two-car garage. On the other end of the financial spectrum, they could also be finished as basic models, making them more affordable.
Wightman unveiled his preliminary plans publicly at a Planning Board meeting in September.
At that meeting, Wightman told the board the development would be for those 55 and older, enforced through a deed restriction.
On Oct. 4, the Planning Board unanimously approved Wightman’s preliminary plans.
Then, on Oct. 6, the Board of Health also OK’ed Wightman’s proposal, unanimously.
In the weeks following Wightman’s presentation, opposition arose around concerns by neighbors about water runoff, increased traffic, and the price tag for the homes — which Wightman hasn’t specified, although it’s clear they are not intended to be for low-income residents.
Later, citing a 2014 Housing Development Plan created by the town with help from the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, he proposed using some of the town’s Community Preservation Act funds to subsidize the project in order to meet the state’s definition of “affordable housing.”
Essentially, to be considered “affordable,” families shouldn’t pay more than 30-percent of their monthly gross income on housing. The state encourages cities and towns to aim to have about 10 percent of housing as affordable.
In preparation for the review, residents can view the subdivision’s plans at the Town Office building.