The Woodland Meadows 40B townhouse development off Oak Hill Road has been in the works for nearly four years now. The Zoning Board of Appeals approved a plan back in November, but Natick developer Robert Heavey appealed the board’s decision saying the conditions they placed on the project would keep him from making money.
After several months of state-ordered mediation, the two sides came to an agreement last night. In interview with the Metrowest Daily News, Heavey said he couldn’t reveal the details of the compromise because the plan still needs to be approved by the state, but he said most of the 90 or so conditions imposed by the ZBA have been removed.
Heavey also told the MWDN that the agreement will allow him to build 16 townhouse units instead of the 14 originally approved by the ZBA. Heavey had complained bitterly that his project could not be profitable with only 14 units.
Click on over to the MWDN to read more about the compromise deal.
Heavey was one of a handful of developers to voice concerns about the ZBA at last week’s Board of Selectmen meeting. Calling the town “hostile to developers,” Heavey complained about the amount of time it took to get his project approved, and said the board wasted his time and money asking him to put together plans he believes they never intended to approve.
“There’s always one more step in this town,” he told Selectmen.
The agreement on Woodland Meadows still has to be approved by the state, and then Heavey has three years to start construction on the project before the approval is void.
Related posts
