EASTHAMPTON — A high-end condominium complex proposed along Loudville Road in the northwest section of the city is drawing the ire of some neighbors who are worried the project is too large, would increase traffic and would spur similar development in the area.
The 18-unit, 10-building complex, dubbed “Wildflower Condominiums,” is being proposed by Cynthia Steplar, whose house at 73 Loudville Road would be one of the buildings in the development. Eight of the buildings would be two-unit duplexes, while plans also call for construction of an additional single-unit home.
The new units would sell for $350,000 to $400,000, according to an estimate from Robert Levesque, whose firm, R. Levesque Associates, designed the project.
Steplar is asking the Planning Board for a special permit that would allow for the construction of the homes on the nearly 15-acre site. Board members toured the site last Thursday, and are scheduled to take up the project again at an Oct. 6 meeting. The Conservation Commission has already given its blessing.
Opponents told the Gazette and the Planning Board earlier this month that the project would increase traffic, would lead to further developments of its kind in the area, and was too dense.
“I certainly am opposed to it,” said Abigail Goman, of 43 Loudville Road. “I think there are too many buildings on the space that they have.”
Another nearby resident, Donna Williston, is concerned about what the development would mean for traffic.
“This road is rated for 35 mph,” said Williston. “We have a problem now with speeding.”
Levesque, meanwhile, described the trip generation from the proposed development as “minimal” based on the capacity of the surrounding roadways. “It’s arguably a drop in the bucket,” he said.
Williston said in an interview that when she and her husband Sam moved to their 41 Loudville Road home in Easthampton in 2004, she did not expect to see condos in their neighborhood.
“This is all individual homes,” she said, describing the neighborhood.
The Willistons also expressed concern that notice of the proposed development was not given to more people in the neighborhood, given its potential impact.
City Planner Jeffrey Bagg said that the zoning district where the project is being proposed has allowed construction of multi-family homes since 2008 with a special permit. On the issue of notice, Bagg said that state regulations require that all neighbors within 300 feet be notified.
“We are not required to notify everyone who lives on Loudville,” he said.
And while Bagg said that he sympathizes with those who were not notified, he also said that he doesn’t have guidance on how or when to expand who is notified.
Goman also expressed concern that the development would take away open space, and that a field behind her house may be developed.
“What’s to prevent them from taking this open space?” she said.
A major concern for Chris Cleland, who lives on nearby Carillon Circle, was that other developments could follow the one being proposed.
“What’s to stop that from happening?” said Cleland. “This whole section of town could be radically changed.”
At the Sept. 15 meeting, Levesque and Planning Board Chairman Jesse Belcher-Timme suggested that those concerned with development in the area could work to change the city’s zoning.
“We are servants to the bylaws,” Belcher-Timme said.
Bagg also said at the meeting that projects are considered on an individual basis.
Belcher-Timme did express concern with the density of the project at the meeting, and how it might conform to the character of the neighborhood.
By contrast, Planning Board member James Zarvis said, “I very much think this is in character with the neighborhood,” but said he would go to the site visit for the project with an open mind.
That site visit gave Planning Board members a good perspective on how things would look, Levesque said. “I thought it was very helpful,” he said.
The Pascommuck Conservation Trust also expressed a desire in a letter to the Planning Board that the remaining undeveloped area on the property be protected.
Bagg said last week that the city is currently in the middle of a housing study and is also preparing to begin the process of updating its open space and recreation plan. And at the meeting, he spoke about the need for more housing in the city across the board.
“We cannot have every single neighborhood say, ‘We need housing, but not here,’” he said.
Bera Dunau can be reached at bdunau@gazettenet.com.