Restaurateur proposes age 55-plus housing development
ELIOT, Maine – An eight-unit housing development off Route 236 has been proposed by well-known local restaurateur and innkeeper Jay McSharry. The housing would be designated for people age 55 and older.
The plan was submitted to the Eliot Planning Board by McSharry, owner and co-owner of numerous area restaurants and inns in southern Maine and the Seacoast New Hampshire region, and business partner Justin Caramagno.
Proposed on a three-acre parcel at 178 Harold L. Dow Highway, the applicants are seeking approval to build a two-story, 2,420-square-foot addition on an existing, 4,666-square-foot commercial building at the address, town planning records show.
The development would comprise four duplexes, and each of the eight units would have its own garage.
Why McSharry wants to build over-55 housing
The proposal officially qualifies as elderly housing in Eliot.
“I think it’s important to provide it. There’s plenty of market for people who are 55 (years old) who are looking to downsize, or maybe have something here and something somewhere else,” McSharry said.
“It is the intention to appeal to members of the community who have raised and educated their children and are looking to downsize but realize the need to look toward a future of restricted mobility as part of the aging process,” the proposal states. “This to be done independently within the context of a small, efficient community property. To encourage and support an ‘active’ lifestyle, it is proposed a pickleball court could be built in the rear. However this space could be used for many activities. Another possibility is a community garden. The area’s use could morph over time to meet the needs/desires of the unit occupants.”
Walking trails could also be created for use by those living at the housing development, if approved, McSharry said.
The applicant listed in the proposal is J & J’s Pathfinder LLC, a New Hampshire limited liability company registered to Caramagno and McSharry, per state business records.
“The applicant intends to finance the proposed development privately with their own funds, with the caveat of having the traditional mortgages prepared for the Elderly Housing units be insured by both the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC),” the proposal states. “This format is consistent with other Elderly Housing units previously approved and since constructed in Eliot, including the Villages at Great Brook and Eliot Commons Senior Housing.”
The agents behind J & J’s Pathfinder, LLC “intend” to have most of the units listed for market rate pricing, McSharry said.
Caramagno and McSharry are looking to team up with a builder to bring the project to life, pending land-use approval.
“It’s a beautiful area and you’re set back from Route 236 so you have all this privacy, but you have quick access to I-95 and all the major things along I-95,” McSharry said.
“There’s the demand for overall housing, right? Across the country and in the Seacoast. So if you can fill any housing, you can help meet the demand. I’m doing my part to try and help with that,” he added. “We picked up this land and (elderly housing is) one of the things that’s allowed.”
The Eliot Planning Board first heard the proposal March 19 and will hold a site walk on the property this month.
McSharry and his wife are known for Seacoast restaurants and inns
Amanda and Jay McSharry own or co-own numerous area restaurants, including Dos Amigos Burritos, Moxy, White Heron Tea, Vida Cantina, Franklin Oyster House, Jumpin Jay’s Fish Cafe, Nichinan and Liars Bench Beer Company in Portsmouth, and Ore Nell’s Barbecue in Kittery, Maine.
They also own the Sailmaker’s House Inn and The Hotel Thaxter in Portsmouth, as well as the Water Street Inn in Kittery.