CAPE ELIZABETH — A South Portland developer known for condominiums designed to attract active, older adults, has taken the first step toward a 47-unit project off Spurwink Avenue.

A preliminary proposal for Maxwell Woods was presented at a Planning Board workshop Tuesday night. The board made no decision and the applicant, Joel FitzPatrick, said he would submit a formal application in three to four months.

FitzPatrick on Tuesday said the condos would be built on nearly 18 acres and cost in the low $400,000 range. He said his hope is to start construction “as soon as (the project) is permitted.”

Town Planner Maureen O’Meara said the FitzPatrick Associates project would most likely mirror the Eastman Meadows and Cottage Brook condo developments that the firm also developed.

The company specializes in single-story condos with two-car garages marketed to older buyers, according to the FitzPatrick Associates website. It says the company’s goal is to build “communities specifically designed for the active adult, emphasizing high-quality, single-level, energy-efficient, easy-to-live-in homes.”

Prior to this week’s Planning Board meeting, O’Meara said the plans for Maxwell Woods “are still in flux” and that the developer “is still feeling out his options.”

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But the number of units FitzPatrick is proposing is in line with the number of condos in both of his other local projects, which are near where Maxwell Woods would be built. Cottage Brook is on Aster Lane and Eastman Meadows is on Eastman Road.

O’Meara said that depending on FitzPatrick’s wishes, there could be more than one workshop on the project before he submits a formal application.

She said the application would include specific project plans, including the total number of units, the total number of acres included in the project and how many bedrooms would be in each unit.

However, O’Meara said, the project would be subject to two local ordinances that govern new development.

One rule requires such projects to offer a portion of the units at moderate or low- income prices, and the other requires that 45 percent of the gross project area be set aside for open space.

Developer Joel FitzPatrick is proposing a new Cape Elizabeth condominium subdivision called Maxwell Woods that would include 47 units constructed much like this one at his Cottage Brook development.


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