Bellingham meeting on senior housing delayed
BELLINGHAM – The annual town meeting originally scheduled to be held Wednesday will now be held Tuesday, June 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the Bellingham High School auditorium.
Town Officials decided to postpone the meeting in order to allow for the timely receipt of all necessary financial information relative to an article proposing the creation of a 55-plus active adult overlay district that will pave the way for a proposed 55 and over residential development in town.
The zoning change article is one of 22 articles on the warrant.
The 55-plus active adult overlay district article was petitioned by developer Ronald Bonvie, who is proposing to build a 55 and over residential development on land owned by the New England Country Club.
A favorable two-thirds majority vote is needed for the zoning overlay district article to pass. Approval to create the district would simply mean that the required zoning for this type of development would be an option for the property.
If approved by voters, Bonvie would then seek a special permit from the town.
Bonvie and his team from Bonvie Homes hosted a community meeting Saturday to discuss both the project and the company’s town meeting petition.
Joining Bonvie and his team was Dan Rea, a veteran Boston television journalist and current host of WBZ’s Nightside. Rea and other former Boston media celebrities have been promoting Bonvie’s other 55 and over project - Southport in Mashpee, a national award winning active adult community.
“We are confident that together we can create a community that satisfies an existing need for housing for adults 55 and over in town, that is visually attractive and fits in with Bellingham’s natural charm, and that will help to create an economic boost that will be beneficial to all,” Bonvie says.
The proposed development in Bellingham targeting “empty nesters” would be built on that part of the country club property that borders Woonsocket. In a meeting with town officials in February, Bonvie said the project would be built in stages and could include up to 800 units.
But voters would first have to approve 55-plus active adult overlay district in May.
“(A yes vote) would indicate to us that enough Bellingham residents are in favor of the idea we are proposing and that we should continue to explore the viability of the project,” said Bonvie, adding the company would then begin drafting environmental, economic and traffic impact studies, as well as architectural and landscape design plans.
The Active Adult Overlay District designates the Bellingham Planning Board as the special permit granting authority and each individual phase of the development will require a special permit from board, which would occur only after proper public notice and public hearings. Other approvals, such as those required by the Conservation Commission and Board of Health, will also be required, and will include a public notice and a hearing process as well.
“Our goal throughout the town meeting and subsequent approval process is to be as transparent as possible, making our plans, our designs, and the results of each of the impact studies, all public and available to anyone interested in this proposed community,.” Bonvie said.
Bonvie, a longtime Massachusetts resident, has 44 years of experience permitting, developing, building and marketing more than 2,000 new homes in communities throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut, including 28 years building active adult homes.