LYNNFIELD — The owner of the Sagamore Spring Golf Course located at 1287 Main St. have begun discussions with the town about a new 55-plus senior housing development it wants to build on the eastern side of the property.
Sagamore Spring Realty Trust trustee Richard Luff, Attorney Susan Murphy and developer Toll Brothers, Inc. Senior Vice President Shawn Nuckolls appeared at a recent Planning Board meeting to give board members a glimpse into the project, which calls for up to 66 standalone units on an approximately 35-acre parcel.
“The gist was the zoning amendment we are seeking and wanted to share that and see where the Planning Board stands on having free-standing units,” said Luff. “I honestly thought the meeting went very, very well. Board members asked great questions and the meeting was much better than I had expected.”
This is the second senior housing project proposed by Sagamore in the last four years. Sagamore’s attempts to build a 154-unit complex of luxury 55-and-over attached townhome condominiums on approximately 105 acres along the eastern side of the golf course were rebuffed by residents at the April 2018 Town Meeting. Voters rejected Article 19 as submitted by owner Sagamore Spring Real Estate Trust and developer Ron Bonvie, which would have rezoned a 105-acre parcel from Residential D to Elderly Housing (EH). While a majority of residents voted in favor of the article (171-136), the vote failed to receive the two-thirds vote required to pass.
At the time, Luff said he was surprised by the vote, but said it would have no impact on the golf course’s future.
“We’ve been around for nearly 100 years, since my grandfather and great-grandfather built the golf course in 1929, so our ownership has strong ties to this land as a golf course,” he said. “Trust me, we don’t want to go anywhere. We are here to stay for a long time.”
Fast forward four years later and Luff is sticking to his story.
“That’s our goal, to not alter the golf course,” he said. “This is a win-win-win for everyone from the town, for the golfers who want the golf course and for the real estate trust trustees and beneficiaries. I feel strongly about that. Our other proposal we submitted to the town in 2018 was, frankly, just too much.This plan allows us to meet all of those goals while keeping the golf course intact and untouched.”
Luff said the project will be bounded by the existing driving range and first and second holes and will not affect the golf course.
“There are plans for separate access away from the golf course, but obviously there will be noise from construction along those holes,” Luff said. “We have a lot to do in the meantime to figure out the water component and the developer and town will still have to reach an agreement, but we want to keep everything open and in public.”
In 2018, access to public water was a sticking point among residents who were concerned about problems if private wells were utilized
“Another option back then was connecting with Peabody water, but that didn’t work so folks had concerns about the impact private wells would have,” Said Director of Planning and Conservation Emilie Cademartorie. “Now the plan appears to be an extension of the Lynnfield Center Water District (LCWD) main line to the property.”
LCWD Superintendent John Scenna said the district has had some initial discussions with Sagamore representatives regarding their proposed development and the ability to expand the LCWD system to service it.
“At this point we are reviewing some preliminary engineering provided and conducting an analysis to determine the feasibility of supporting the proposed development,” Scenna said.
Earlier this year, the Planning Board endorsed an Approval Not Required (ANR) plan submitted for the property that created a new 35-acre lot. The state’s Subdivision Control Law permits ANR plans to be developed if single lots can be carved out of a larger lot, generally without the creation of new roads. Planning Board endorsement of an ANR certifies that certifying that approval under the Subdivision Control Law is not required.
Luff and Cademartorie confirmed that the trustees and Toll Brothers have entered into a purchase and sale agreement for the property. Cademartorie said she expects the trust will submit a Town Meeting article seeking rezoning of the property from residential to EH. She added this is a two-part process; first, rezoning to EH, and second, redefining the definition of EH.
“If the zoning is successful, then my understanding is the developer wants to do active adult (stand-alone units) but our bylaws say they must be attached. The trust wants us to redefine our definition to allow stand-alone units. A definition change will allow that and also permit common areas, such as a pool with clubhouse.”
Like Luff, Cademartorie said she thought the Planning Board had a positive response to the new proposal.
“The new plan is slightly different from what we now have for elderly housing in Lynnfield in that we don’t have standalone units, but we know that Lynnfield seniors want standalone units. It’s a highly desirable outcome.”
Luff said the trust has had a relationship with Toll Brothers going back to 2006.
“It’s kind of crazy because they have been interested in working with us for a long time,” Luff said. “Usually, every few years we get a call, so this time, things finally just aligned the right way.”
