Hopkinton Mews, an apartment community with affordable housing proposed for Lumber Street, may soon be moving to Hopkinton. A presentation for the Hopkinton Mews development was made to the Planning Board during their October 21 meeting by developer Robb Hewitt and property owner Paul Mastroianni. The Hopkinton Mews development is the updated apartment portion of the proposed Acres development. The hearing was continued as there are more items to be discussed during the next meeting. A comprehensive permit for affordable housing must be granted by the Board of Appeals after the Planning Board hearing is complete.
The proposed complex will be built on 25 acres at the corner of Lumber Street and West Main Street. There will be a total of 250 units built with 230 apartments and 20 townhouses, with one to three bedrooms in each. 25% of these will be affordable so that the entire complex can be counted toward the town’s affordable housing goal. There will be seven three-story complexes, six townhouses, and a clubhouse for residents to use. A fitness center, common area, and pool will be in the clubhouse. A greenscape area with landscaping is also proposed near the clubhouse for residents.
A new roadway would be built for the complex off of Lumber Street with plans for retail buildings on the roadway. 489 parking spaces will be available with 91 garage spaces for rent by residents in each building. The site connects to the existing trail system in town with open space and wetland areas nearby. The total time for construction would be 20-22 months. Construction of the site would be continual, starting with the clubhouse and the townhouses, along with some of the larger buildings. There will be on-site sewer, and Hewitt is hoping for town water, though there is a back up well system in place. Construction would move from the front of the site to the back, allowing for occupancy in the completed buildings with minimal disruption from the construction.
Although many communities are now building these kinds of complexes, Hewitt thinks there is still a market for them. A similar complex was built by Hewitt in Concord and was received favorably by the town.
“We try to pick communities that we believe in being in long term, that will have value, and that people want to live in, and I think Hopkinton fits that bill,” said Hewitt.
Board member Claire Wright asked what would happen if the development stopped partway through and was started again by another company. Hewitt and Land Use Director Elaine Lazarus stated that anyone who wished to build had to adhere to the plans approved by the Board of Appeals or to return to the Board of Appeals for approval of any major modifications. When told by Board member John Ferrari that Ferrari would like to see some variety in the buildings at the development, Hewitt stated that the Concord development had buildings of different colors and siding, and that he was open to varying architectural details.
Board members were invited to stop by the Concord complex for a look around to get an idea of what the Hopkinton development would look like if approved. A site walk for the Lumber Street site will be on November 4 at 2:30 PM, and the discussion for Hopkinton Mews will be continued during the next Planning Board hearing on November 4.
To watch the full meeting, click here.
