Natick Housing Project Reaches Settlement
Construction of a 150-unit housing project near downtown Natick could begin as early as this spring after the developer reached an agreement with an abutting neighbor who opposed the project.
Natick Station is a multimillion-dollar planned development of 12 town homes and 138 condominium units within walking distance of the Natick commuter rail station. It was first proposed by Barberry Homes in the spring of 2006.
After years of consideration and planning, developers got initial approval from Natick officials to move forward with the project in 2009. Within 20 days of the developer receiving the necessary permits, Natick Mills, an abutting housing complex, filed suit in Massachusetts Land Court, stopping the project.
After more than a year-and-a-half of litigation, the developer and the abutter have reached a settlement, according to both parties, which could allow construction to begin as early as next year, pending reconsideration of the project by Natick planning officials this month.
Roadblock
Natick Station is proposed to be constructed on the 6.5-acre former Natick Paperboard plant at 82 North Main St., according to Jim Williamson of Barberry Homes, a housing development firm that has done projects across the MetroWest region.
The project was initially considered under the state's 40R development program, which is aimed at increasing housing density near transportation hubs.
After Barberry first proposed the project in 2006, Natick Town Meeting members approved a change to zoning rules that installed a 40R district in the area of the proposed development, according to Williamson.
The town of Natick also received an incentive payment worth $200,000 from the state for enacting the zoning change. As part of the 40R zoning district, at least 20 percent of the new units developed must be classified as affordable, meaning they are reserved for residents that earn a certain percentage of the area's median income.
After a year of environmental studies at the site in 2007, officials with Barberry received approval for the project to move forward in April 2009. Construction was about to begin, Williamson said, but within 20 days of the town's approvals, the abutter filed an appeal.
Officials with Natick Mills had concerns about access to the proposed development and stormwater impacts in the area, according to Robert Levy, an attorney at Boston-based Eckert Seamans, which represented Natick Mills.
A settlement, however, has recently been reached that both sides said would allow the project to move forward pending reconsideration of the plan by Natick Planning Board. The board has to reconsider the project because changes have been made to the original designs to accommodate the settlement agreement.
Neither Levy nor Williamson would discuss details of the settlement, but both said it is mutually agreeable.
Williamson said remediation work to clean up the site has already begun and he expects that to be complete by the end of the fall. Construction could begin in the spring.
There will be 12 town homes along North Main Street and three four-story buildings in the rear, to make up 150 units total. Twenty-eight of the 138 condominium units will be affordable, Williamson said.
Once the project is complete, Natick will receive additional incentive payments from the state totaling $3,000 per unit, an estimated $414,000, said Patrick Reffet, Natick's community development director.
Reffet said the Natick Planning Board is expected to reconsider the project with the amendments called for in the settlement beginning on Sept. 7.
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