Politics & Government
Winchester Hopeful to Have Wright-Locke Farm Developer in Place by Town Meeting
Town Counsel, Wade Welch, offered a few clues on the current state of Wright-Locke Farm at Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting.
There has been a lot of talk in Winchester lately about and what to do with the
At the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, Town Counsel, Wade Welch, met with the board in order to confirm that an August 2009 specialty sales permit was still in affect, giving the town power to sell the 12 ½ acres of farm land until 2013.
After confirming this with the Board, Welch talked about what will become of Wright-Locke farm.
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“Because of historically low interest rates and the availability of good workers, now could be a good time to build,” Welch said. “There are a variety of options with what to do with those 12 ½ acres. The RFP (Request for Proposal) [went] out Sept. 21, that's when we expect to start seeing some companies come forth with bids.”
Still completely up-in-the-air concerning what will be built on Ridge Street, Winchester wants the new construction to be, “compatible with the farm and historical buildings,” stated Welch. “The seven and a half acres the historic farmhouses rest on are not part of the RFP and will not be bid on.”
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In terms of developers already approaching Winchester, Welch mentioned, “I have heard rumors that two major developers are interested in the property.”
Welch also added, “the Board [of Selectmen] intends to hire an economic development consultant at the applicant’s expense to do a fiscal impact analysis for the farmland.”
Despite Selectmen Forrest Fontana mentioning, “I don’t expect a decision will be made by Town Meeting,” Welch was more optimistic on how quickly the town will move the land.
“We hope to have something by Town Meeting in October to present to the selectmen,” said Welch.
Before taking his leave, Welch closed by commenting on the possibility of affordable housing units being built on Wright-Locke Farm when he stated, “the discussion at the Selectmen’s table is that the Board is seeking proposals that provide up to 10 percent of the units for affordable housing. These units may include both on and off-site units. The affordable housing has little or no impact on the land being used and there is no legal requirement that there be any affordable housing at the site.”
