A rendering of the 60-unit Westbrook Housing Authority building planned for seniors at the development at 216 Lincoln St., the former site of the Rivermeadow Golf Club. Contributed / Tyler Norod
Developers could eventually build up to 358 homes at the former Rivermeadow Golf Club property off Lincoln Street in Westbrook, including condos, single-family homes and affordable senior housing.
The Planning Board has reviewed WORG’s first phase plan for 88 homes and will vote on it once it receives final DEP approval, developer Alan Wolf said in a phone interview. Also as part of the first phase, a plan for a 10-unit condominium building will be sent to the board soon, City Planning Director Jennie Franceschi said.
Although 358 units are allowable on the 91-acre site, Wolf said the size of the development’s second phase will depend on the market.
The 88 homes in the first phase include 60 affordable senior apartments that will be operated by the Westbrook Housing Authority, 16 single-family house lots along a public street to be constructed for the project and 12 single-family lots along Lincoln Street.
Developers plan to keep 46 acres of the former golf course for conservation, exceeding the city’s requirement of 4 acres. The city also requires that a development of this size include around 30 affordable apartments, a requirement WORG also plans to exceed.
“We are excited to be there, with access to the river while avoiding taking away natural meadows,” said Tyler Norod, director of the Westbrook Development Corporation, which works with the Westbrook Housing Authority.
Developers will also contribute to major repairs slated for Lincoln Street, including work sidewalks, curbing and drainage, “which is a substantive part of Lincoln St. reconstruction efforts,” according to the city’s project description.
Planning Board member Nancy Litroscapes said at an Oct. 5 board meeting that she liked the project because of its density.
“I am anti-sprawl. We are a city and I think any time we have projects there is a disruption to land, so I am happy to see when the disruption results in more density rather than less,” Litroscapes said. “It’s the same amount of disruption typically for less housing, so I value that we are increasing density in the community.”
Westbrook Housing Authority is looking forward to its portion of the project, which will have a colonial style, according to Director Chris LaRoche. The affordable housing units will be discussed at a Nov. 2 Planning Board meeting.
Norod said the project will help meet the need for affordable housing.
“Essentially, we can’t build units fast enough to meet the growing need,” he said. “Westbrook Housing Authority currently has a waitlist of 1,300 households. According to MaineHousing’s 2020 Annual Report, we need to build approximately 25,000 new units of affordable housing across the sate to meet market demand.”
Phase 1 will be built in the red shaded area. Future development would be in the light green area, and the dark green area is conservation space. Contributed / City of Westbrook
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