The Marion Zoning Board of Appeals learned on February 25 that Heron Cove Estates developer Steen Realty Development Corporation plans to increase the size of its proposed Wareham Road 40B development after purchasing a number of abutting properties.
The developer’s attorney, Mark Bobrowski, informed the ZBA in a letter dated February 19 that the latest plan is to expand the project by adding 24 units alongside the previously proposed 96 units. Bobrowski’s letter asked the board to continue the public hearing until April 8, which it did after a brief discussion on the matter.
ZBA Administrative Assistant Anne Marie Tobia told the ZBA that Steen Realty Development had recently purchased two more lots situated in front of the proposed development. She said she did not have any further information on the plan’s changes other than what was stated in Bobrowski’s letter, but added, “I know that there are some major changes” that will result in a resubmission of the plan and readvertising of the public hearing.
Bobrowski suggested in his letter that a changeover in ZBA members is another reason to readvertise for a new public hearing. Furthermore, he wrote, “The Board of Selectmen has suggested several ‘mitigation’ measures as part of its [Local Initiative Project (LIP)] endorsement. My client needs to finalize these measures with the board before we return to the ZBA.”
Once that is done, Bobrowski wrote that the developer must also finalize the changes with the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), the subsidizing agency for the affordable housing development.
Heron Cove Estates will be Steen Realty Development Corporation’s (formerly called Baywatch Realty) second 40B affordable housing development in Marion. The 60-unit Marion Village Estates was completed in 2015. The abutting Sippican Woods subdivision, a mix of 36 affordable and market-rate houses, began construction in 2016 as part of the same 40B project.
The next meeting of the Marion Zoning Board of Appeals is scheduled for Thursday, March 11, at 6:30 pm.
Marion Zoning Board of Appeals
By Jean Perry