EASTHAMPTON — The Planning Board has given the green light to a proposed 14-unit condominium complex on Loudville Road, with construction expected to start this summer.
The board last month OK’d a special permit submitted by Joe Kelley, co-owner of Kelley & Katzer Real Estate LLC of West Springfield, for the development at 283 Loudville Road.
“We’re very excited,” Kelley said in an interview with the Gazette. “We’ve really enjoyed becoming a part of the community in Easthampton and the demand is still there (for this housing) so we’re ecstatic to be able to provide housing and this also opens up new homes in Easthampton.”
The development known as Whispering Pines will create a new 750-foot road off Loudville called Sycamore Lane, ending in a cul-de-sac. There will be three duplexes along the lane — one duplex consisting of two-bedroom units and two duplexes consisting of two- and three-bedroom units.
The other eight homes will be single units — six two-bedrooms and two, three-bedrooms. Kelley said the exact price of the units are not determined, but they will be market rate, costing upward of $700,000, and will all have one floor.
Construction is expected to start in late June or July, Kelley said, at which point the units will start to be advertised by Kelley & Katzer. Construction will be managed by a partner of Kelley’s, Premier Home Builders of Chicopee, and is expected to be completed in the fall.
“The biggest thing is we’re going to be increasing housing in a very tasteful way,” Kelley said. “We’ve seen that there is a demand and value for this housing.”
This is the third project of similar size that Kelley has worked on in Easthampton — the other two developments are also located on Loudville Road.
The others include an 18-unit project called Steplar Crossing, approved in November 2020, and a 15-unit development on Nichols Way, or Pineview Estates, approved in February 2024. The latter development at 282 Loudville Road is located directly across from the Whispering Pines proposal. The project when complete will include creation of a four-way intersection with two stop signs, in between the two developments. No signs would be placed on Loudville Road.
At the March 17 Planning Board meeting when the permit was approved John Furman, office manager for Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB) of Springfield, the consulting and design firm hired for the project, said all the units at Nichols Way have been sold out.
“That project [Nichols Way] is as permitted and has been completely sold out, so there is a demand for these houses in that area,” he said.
The special permit for Whispering Pines was first submitted in December last year and initially received pushback from residents concerned about the impacts from another housing development along Loudville Road. Residents expressed worry about the impact of more neighborhood activity, changes to wildlife and traffic, while the Planning Board questioned if wetlands would be affected.
Kelley & Katzer met with community members at least two times and held a site walk with the Planning Board to address any concerns, and several changes were made to the plan since January. The changes mainly ensure that the project meets required local and state standards, and addresses points raised by abutters. For example, the stormwater basin which will be built with the project was changed from a “detention” basin to a “infiltration” basin.
“We had great dialogue working with the community,” Kelley said. “Between the first, second and third development, we’ve gotten better over time and it was a smooth process,” this time.
The project also does not infringe on the state regulated 100-foot wetland protection buffer. The conditions on the permit satisfied the Planning Board, which commented that the development “is sufficiently set back from Loudville Road as to not create any obstructions of scenic views” and the project will leave the majority of vegetation on-site.
“The Easthampton Planning Board is very meticulous and as an applicant, the transparency is appreciated to help us move forward,” Kelley said. “It’s great when neighbors meet with us one-on-one as well.”
