In the 1950s, Craig Milum’s dad came to Phoenix to take over a failing laundry business. He turned it around and built it up. Craig started working there in 1963 at age 13.
And he kept working there, including through his college years at ASU, where he met his wife Marilyn. In the late 1970s, Craig and Marilyn took over the business from Craig’s dad. And finally, in 2019, approaching his 70s and after more than 50 years of hard work in the business, Craig retired.
The laundry business sits on what is now very valuable land in the downtown core. Phoenix has zoned it for some of the tallest and densest uses in the city.
In fact, Phoenix wants this area to be a “dense, vibrant, urban mixed-use area that is a center for commerce and high-rise urban living.”
And given all the other private development in the area, including new complexes surrounding it, the land the laundry business sits on is a prime candidate for someone to buy and redevelop into more housing.
Phoenix halts the Milums’ retirement plans
Some 70 years after the family bought it, the property’s value now represents Craig and Marilyn’s nest egg for their retirement.
But Phoenix might wreck the Milums’ retirement plans and their property rights.
The shuttered laundry buildings are old and seriously deteriorating, with frequent break-ins by homeless people. So, for public safety and to speed up redevelopment, the Milums wanted to demolish them.
Phoenix said not so fast. Instead, city employees want to designate the building as historic.
But it is not like George Washington slept here. Instead, Phoenix wants the Milums to save the ceilings — a part of the structure that is only “historic” because its design was so structurally unsound that builders stopped using it decades ago.
Why spend millions on a building they’ll sell?
To do that, the Milums would have to spend millions to rehabilitate the buildings. Additionally, the designation would limit the future use of the property. If the property cannot be used for the dense mixed-use zoning that Phoenix says it otherwise wants, then the property is worth far less, and the Milum’s nest egg is far less certain.
Even assuming that “saving ceilings” is a legitimate use of government power, the Milums cannot be forced to shoulder the millions that Phoenix’s demands will cost. This is not a public health and safety action.
It’s a mistake:To demolish this Phoenix home
A historic designation is not like a fire code or a sanitation law.
And nearly two decades ago, Arizona voters overwhelmingly adopted the Private Property Rights Protection Act. The law requires the government to reimburse owners when new regulations reduce existing rights to use, divide, sell or possess private property.
An example of suffocating land-use regulations
And this fight illustrates another problem with the city’s land-use regulations: They cause higher housing prices.
Arizona, and the Phoenix area in particular, is in the middle of a housing affordability crisis. This crisis, as the Legislature itself has recognized in the “Arizona Starter Home Act” bill that was passed but vetoed, “is caused in no small part due to highly restrictive regulations imposed by municipalities.”
These restrictive zoning regulations prevent the construction of new housing which would, because of supply and demand, have the effect of lowering housing prices. So not only will Phoenix’s designation cost the Milums millions, it will also prevent more housing development.
Phoenix’s Planning Commission voted against the designation earlier in April.
Now it is up to City Council. They should vote against it too.
Otherwise, Phoenix taxpayers will be on the hook for the harm to the Milums’ rights and retirement they spent a lifetime working toward.
In all fairness and justice, if the government thinks that protecting old ceilings is important and desirable, the cost of doing so must be borne by the public as a whole.
Phoenix cannot force the Milums to bear that cost alone.
Paul Avelar is the Arizona managing attorney with the Institute for Justice and Ari Bargil is a senior attorney with the institute. Reach them at pavelar@ij.org and abargil@ij.org.
HILLSDALE — Hillsdale’s leaders joined with representatives from Portage-based Allen Edwin Homes Monday for a groundbreaking ceremony on Hidden Meadows Drive where middle-income housing for the workforce will be built.
Allen Edwin Homes first came to the city in the fall of 2023 with their plan to build three duplex-style residential units that will ultimately house six families with occupancy available in early 2025.
The project is the first in Hillsdale to take advantage of new state legislation which allows developers to seek payment in lieu of taxes agreements with municipalities in order to entice housing development.
The council approved a 10-percent PILOT payment over 15 years for Allen Edwin Homes’ project in Hillsdale, which came under scrutiny of Councilman Joshua Paladino when the council took up the issue on Nov. 20, 2023.
Paladino, who opposed the concept of the PILOT payments, ultimately voted no on the resolution to allow the project to proceed while the rest of the council voted aye.
“Hillsdale is experiencing a surge of energy as investment in the community continues to grow,” Brian Farkas, director of workforce housing for Allen Edwin Homes, said. “Allen Edwin Homes is thrilled to be part of this momentum by bringing more housing to Hillsdale.”
Previously, the PILOT incentive only applied to developments qualifying for low-income housing tax credits, which typically involve large apartment complexes. By contrast, this new tool can be applied to smaller apartment developments and single-family homes, city officials said.
The agreement with the city requires Allen Edwin to keep rents affordable to families earning up to 120% of the median household income for 15 years.
“We are excited to be working with Allen Edwin Homes to bring additional housing options to Hillsdale,” Hillsdale Mayor Adam Stockford said. “Housing is a need, not only in Hillsdale but across the entire state. This project builds on the recent growth we’ve been seeing as investors realize the opportunity our community has to offer.”
A state housing report published in 2022 found approximately 47% of the state’s housing units are more than 50 years old and that Michigan needs 190,000 more units to meet current housing needs. The report also found, as of 2019, about 26% of Michigan residents were considered “housing-cost burdened” because they spent more than 30 percent of their income on housing.
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“Preserving our aging housing stock and developing new units are both critically important to tackle our housing shortage and grow our local economy,” Hillsdale City Manager David Mackie said. “These new homes will help address the need for affordable housing for working class families, young professionals, or retiring residents who are looking to downsize. This project is a significant step forward.”
The developer has proposed for the second phase a mix of “for sale” and rental single-family homes on the remaining acreage in the Three Meadows Subdivision they currently have under exclusive option.
— Contact Reporter Corey Murray atcmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.
A Milwaukee-based real estate developer plans to bring an apartment development to the former site of St. Bernard Congregation and Wauwatosa Catholic School in the Wauwatosa village. Here’s what to know.
Three Leaf Partners named as developer to purchase St. Bernard parish
Three Leaf Partners LLC submitted its plans for a three-story multi-family development at 7474 Harwood Ave. to the City of Wauwatosa weeks after parishioners learned St. Bernard would close to merge with its sister parish Christ King.
Rev. Phillip Bogacki, pastor of both parishes, told parishioners in a letter that parish leaders had chosen a developer to whom they would sell the St. Bernard property, but didn’t name Three Leaf Partners. Proceeds of the sale will serve as an infusion of cash to carry the newly merged parish forward, he said.
Three Leaf Partners, co-founded by Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton, has developed hotels, multi-family apartment buildings and other projects around the Milwaukee area, Minnesota and Indiana. The firm developed the Honey Creek Apartments in Wauwatosa and is working on multi-family apartments and townhomes in Hartland.
St. Bernard property to be replaced by 163-unit apartment building
Three Leaf Partners’ plans would bring a 163-unit apartment building to the coveted property in the Wauwatosa village, plans by Milwaukee-based Korb + Associates Architects show.
One-bedroom units from 650 to 850 square feet would make up most of the building, while more spacious one-bedroom units from 850 to 950 square feet and two-bedroom units that are 1,150 to 1,250 square feet will also be available.
Below the three levels of apartment units, a basement garage will provide 187 parking spots for residents. Twenty-three parking spots north of the building are planned for visitors.
A courtyard will bring residents an outdoor space within the apartment complex’s walls, complete with grills and a fire pit. The building will include a storage area for bikes, a fitness room and club room, among other amenities.
How much will Three Leaf Partners’ apartment development on Harwood Avenue cost?
The project costs $46 million and Three Leaf Partners does not plan to ask for tax incremental financing, or TIF, according to the BizTimes, which first reported on the development.
Representatives of Three Leaf Partners did not immediately respond to requests for an interview.
The firm has sought out TIF in other projects, including $13 million in city financing help for an apartment project in West Allis.
Parts of St. Bernard’s history may be preserved in the new developments, plans show
Plans show that developers and architects may repurpose the bricks, stained glass and other aspects of the existing building that housed St. Bernard parish, which became Wauwatosa’s first Catholic church in 1911.
Construction on the current parish complex began in 1962. The parish property underwent extensive renovations starting in 2000, which brought new parish and school office centers, a gymnasium and an elevator, according to the parish website.
Rev. Bogacki said in his letter to parishoners that approval from the city for the developers’ plans may take six to nine months and that the parish will remain in their building during that time.
“If plans are approved, we can determine when to set moments to celebrate the good work of our past and pledge ourselves to a renewed future,” he wrote.
Will the new apartment replacing the St. Bernard property in Tosa’s village go before the Common Council?
The development meets the current zoning code and therefore does not need to go to the Common Council for approval, according to Eva Ennamorato, Wauwatosa’s communications manager.
“That’s unique when it comes to developments,” Ennamorato told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
The development firm plans to present its plans at the Wauwatosa Design Review Board meeting Thursday, April 18 at 7 p.m. in the Common Council Chambers at Wauwatosa City Hall.
The in-person meeting will not be recorded, and residents can share their thoughts on the development during public comment, Ennamorato said. The development may need to go before the Board of Public Works or other boards to receive certain permits before construction can begin, according to Ennamorato.
Contact the reporter at bfogarty@gannett.com
A prominent downtown property slated for a 46-story Ritz Carlton Nashville tower has been sold in a foreclosure auction after the developer allegedly stopped making payments to the bank.
R Squared Properties LLC of Washington bought the triangular-shaped 1.2-acre lot at 727 Korean Veterans Boulevard for $35 million on Thursday, according to the deed filed with Davidson County Register’s office.
The property was sold to the “highest bidder for cash” at Metro Nashville Courthouse on Thursday morning, the deed states. The sale price is the same amount the site sold for in March 2020 — $35 million.
R Squared officials did not immediately respond to requests about whether they will continue with development plans for the Ritz hotel.
Seller RC Nashville Development Partners, led by Timothy J. Morris, was sued for defaulting on a $10 million construction loan by Oakworth Capital Bank, the financiers for the original Ritz project. A U.S. Magistrate Judge said on April 1 that the defendants continue to fail to adequately respond to legal filings.
“RC Nashville has not filed an answer,” Judge Barbara D. Holmes wrote. “Although Morris filed a letter on behalf of himself and RC Nashville that could be construed as an answer to the complaint, RC Nashville can only appear in this case through a licensed attorney because it is a limited liability corporation.”
Ritz Carlton Nashville plans stalled shortly after they were announced
Plans announced in 2021 were to build a $585 million hotel and condominium tower filled with upscale design and amenities.
Morris told The Tennessean at the time that he was inspired by the success of Four Seasons Nashville.
“They came in as trailblazers,” Morris said. “They established the fact that people would pay the prices they’re paying for that type of luxuries and that brand and amenities.”
However, trouble surfaced in 2022 when construction was delayed due to financing challenges.
In October 2023, Oakworth Capital Bank filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for Middle Tennessee alleging that Morris and his RC Nashville Development Partners failed to make payments on a $10 million line of credit.
In court documents, Morris said he was beset by difficult economic conditions including high inflation and post-Covid supply chain interruptions.
“It seems only fair to a layman like me that (Oakworth Capital Bank) can take the deed in lieu of foreclosure, sell the property, a course of action I would fully support,” Morris wrote the court. “Plaintiff would be made more than 100% whole financially based on the purported value of the property.”
Morris faces numerous lawsuits
Developer Tim Morris has found himself at the center of several lawsuits regarding his business dealings.
Morris is principal of M2 Development Partners and RC Nashville Development Partners, which was also sued for allegedly failing to make payments on a $10 million loan.
In a separate suit, Oakworth Capital also alleges Morris failed to make payments on a $5.3 million loan for a project he is working on in Washington, D.C.
On April 1, U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara D. Holmes ruled in favor of Oakworth that Morris was in default of his loan payments for that case.
“Although Morris has made some filings in this case, he failed to follow the Court’s instruction in its February 15 order to respond to the motion for entry of default,” Holmes wrote in her order. “Morris’ disregard of the Court’s order justifies entry of default against him.”
In January, real estate development company The Bradley Projects filed a suit against Morris and Patterson Street, LP, alleging the defendants failed to pay back a promissory note totaling $218,750. According to the lawsuit, the payment was due in full Dec. 31, 2023.
M2, Morris and RC Nashville are listed as defendants in another suit filed in December by office building Fifth+ Broadway in downtown Nashville. According to the complaint, M2 and RC, of which Morris is the guarantor, failed to make rent payments to the office owner. The plaintiff is seeking $184,955.46 plus additional damages and interest to be determined at trial.
The company that operates Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp has completed the $8.5 million purchase of more than 1,000 acres of city-owned Northeast El Paso land for a proposed huge data center.
Meta Platforms Inc., under a company it established to buy the land, completed the sale on Dec. 29. That’s 3½ months earlier than the sale contract’s April 18 deadline for moving forward with the sale without a contract extension.
The land sale agreement was approved by the El Paso City Council on Dec. 4, but city officials did not announce its completion.
The City Council and El Paso Commissioners Court on Dec. 4 also approved providing millions of dollars in tax rebates to Meta over 25 years to encourage it to spend a minimum of $800 million to build a hyperscale data center.
Meta officials have yet to publicly announce the company will build a data center at the vacant El Paso site. However, the land sale is a big step toward proceeding with the project. It has up to five years to develop the property, according to the sale contract.
The vacant land is located along a little-used portion of Stan Roberts Sr. Avenue and just off of U.S. Highway 54 — not far from the New Mexico state line.
Data centers house computers and servers to process data for customers. Hyperscale data centers are large and can quickly scale up or down to meet demand. However, the centers don’t have large workforces.
The land sale was contingent on Meta obtaining a water-supply agreement with El Paso Water, which it did in early December. It waived a contract requirement that it also have a power-purchase agreement with El Paso Electric prior to the sale closing.
Meta and EPE are still negotiating a power agreement, Kelly Tomblin, the utility’s chief executive officer, recently told the El Paso Times.
The Meta-tied company, Wurldwide LLC, entered an agreement with the city and paid a deposit of $333,600 on April 18, 2022, to inspect the land for up to a year, with possible extensions. Meta instead completed the land sale on Dec. 29, a city spokesperson said.
CBRE, a global commercial real estate firm, did an appraisal in April 2023 of the 1,042-acre site for the city and concluded the site’s market value was $8,156 per acre. It based that value on evaluating sales of five El Paso-area vacant land sites, which sold for prices ranging from $6,550 to $16,929 per acre, the CBRE appraisal report shows.
The city sold 1,039 acres of the site for $8,156 per acre, or just under $8.5 million, and retained three acres. City staff handled the land deal without using an outside broker, said Karina Brasgalla, interim director of the city Economic and International Development Department.
The money from the sale goes into the city’s capital assets fund for future capital-asset purchases as required by city charter, Brasgalla said.
More: El Paso wages remain near bottom in Texas, nation, new federal report shows
Meta has to build at least an $800 million data center and invest at least $2.8 billion over 25 years, including costs of periodically updating the center’s equipment, to get $110 million in mostly tax rebates and other incentives, a city official reported in December.
However, if it builds a five-phase campus, as city officials are hoping, and spends at least $14 billion, including equipment refreshes every five years, it could get more than $500 million in tax rebates over 25 years, city information shows.
Vic Kolenc may be reached at 915-546-6421; vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; @vickolenc on Twitter, now known as X.
GLASSBORO — Construction of townhomes could start as early as July on a patchwork of parcels the borough owns on and near South Academy Street, an area Glassboro has struggled to redevelop.
Late last year, the Borough Council agreed to sell the real estate for $1.45 million to Woods Glassboro Properties Development LLC. The council also named the company the official redeveloper for the properties, which include lots that are vacant because of past demolitions.
The company will build 38 duplex townhome buildings over two phases, for a total of 76 residential units. The plan was approved after a lengthy public hearing Tuesday night before the Planning Board.
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“The development is going to be set up as a condominium, with the owner of each individual unit owning their unit,” company attorney Matthew Madden told the board. “But otherwise, the property will be owned and managed by a homeowners association.”
The first phase involves 13 buildings, built on two sites, on the west side of South Academy Street. All buildings are to be three stories tall.
The second phase involves 24 buildings, for another 48 residential units, on the east side of Academy Street and partially off Warrick Avenue. A clubhouse is part of phase two.
Frank Cifelli and Sean Frankel, two of the principals in the company, testified at the hearing.
Cifelli said phase two construction is tentatively slated to start in January 2025. The company has done projects with this style of townhome in the Philadelphia area with good success, he said.
Cifelli said the price range will start around $350,000. “We expect it to be a pretty successful development,” he said.
The project reached this stage after a lot of discussions with borough officials. One critical point was the borough desire to keep townhomes turning into rental properties for the college student population.
Cifelli said sale agreements will have provisions to make it difficult for investors to buy and turn around to rent a unit.
Borough Administrator Edward Malandro supported that claim, saying the company is adapting language the borough’s redevelopment attorney provided.
“This is a product that mayor and council have gone after for quite some time,” Malandro, an ex-councilman, said. “Academy Street? Trying to redevelop that? Again, I’ve been involved for close to 25 years now. And it’s been a struggle to redevelop that section of town. We think we have a great partner.”
On Thursday, Malandro said a closing date is not set for selling the land.
Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times.
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The owner of the Idea Foundry and the newly developed Gravity Park is seeking to sell both properties, adjacent to one another in Franklinton.
The properties, listed by NAI Ohio Equities for $9.5 million, are owned by a corporation governed by Kaufman Development, creator of the Gravity office, residential and retail development immediately to the north.
Kaufman bought the Idea Foundry two years ago with plans to update and enliven the 50,000-square-foot “makerspace,” occupied by manufacturing facilities, offices, event space and workshops.
The Idea Foundry is being sold with Gravity Experience Park, sort of an adult playground that Kaufman developed last year on a parking lot next to the Idea Foundry. The park opened in November with an ice rink with bumper cars, two heated tents for drinks, places to congregate and a grand entrance made of stacked shipping containers. The activities were expected to expand this summer with a pickleball court.
The park, which is managed by Land-Grant Brewing Co., will continue as usual, a Kaufman representative said.
Brett Kaufman, the CEO of Kaufman Development, didn’t say why he was selling the properties so soon after investing in them.
“We feel we’ve been good stewards of this property and enhanced its value,” he said in an emailed statement.
“Now, we’re going to focus on our core business. Franklinton remains an incredible, dynamic neighborhood, and we look forward to seeing how the next person or group will carry this space into the future.”
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The Idea Foundry, a former factory built in 1923, will continue its mission of serving as an incubator and workplace for small manufacturers, artists, educators and others, said Idea Foundry Founder Alex Bandar.
“The real estate and the business have always been separate, so The Idea Foundry continues operating as usual,” Bandar said in an emailed statement “Kaufman has been a supportive partner that has advanced us forward, and we look forward to welcoming a new partner, as we continue being excited about our future.”
NAI Equities is listing the properties as an opportunity for investors, developers or owner users.
“The expansive creative space includes a mezzanine level and basement, with the potential to activate the rooftop area,” according to the listing. “The property has a versatile and unique layout with high ceilings and a modern, open floor plan that is move-in ready with unlimited possibilities.”
NAI’s flyer on the property includes conceptual renderings of the building as a bar and restaurant with an expansive rooftop patio.
The Idea Foundry moved into the building a decade ago, after it had been owned by the motorcycle dealer A.D. Farrow.
“We brokered the sale when it was A.D. Farrow, so it’s exciting to see the property come full circle,” said Peter Merkle, who is listing the property with Bastian Gehrer for NAI.
jweiker@dispatch.com
@JimWeiker
The closed University Club on downtown’s east side is being sold to a Northwestern Mutual affiliate.
The company isn’t yet disclosing specific plans for the six-story, 58,125-square-foot building, 924 E. Wells St., which was constructed in 1926.
“As an active real estate investor, Northwestern Mutual is a steward of our downtown Milwaukee campus and neighboring area and the opportunity to invest in the University Club property allows us to ensure the building continues to serve as a prominent, thriving downtown hub for the Milwaukee community,” said a company statement issued Monday.
“We plan to share Northwestern Mutual’s intended use for the building in the near future,” added Julia Fennelly, senior director of strategic communications and corporate reputation.
Terms of the pending sale, first reported by Urban Milwaukee, weren’t disclosed. The property’s assessed value is $2.7 million, according to city records.
University Club in December closed its downtown operations due to declining membership, maintenance issues and growing restaurant competition.
University Club continues to operate its golf course, tennis courts and swimming pool at 7401 N. 43rd St., Brown Deer.
The club’s downtown property is just northeast of where Northwestern Mutual is redeveloping an 18-story office building, 818 E. Mason St., to help house around 2,000 employees relocating from the company’s Franklin operations. That project is to be completed in early 2027.
Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, X and Facebook.
St. Bernard Parish, a Catholic church on the edge of Wauwatosa’s downtown village area, will close and the property will be sold to a developer, its pastor said in a letter to parishioners on Sunday.
Church operations will merge with its sister parish, Christ King, said the Rev. Phillip Bogacki, pastor of both St. Bernard and Christ King. The merged parish will move entirely to the Christ King campus, and use its name, Bogacki said.
The closure of St. Bernard, at 1500 N. Wauwatosa Ave., follows the shuttering at the end of the last school year of the adjoining Wauwatosa Catholic School because of a financial deficit and low student enrollment.
Beyond that, the move reflects what is happening to scores of houses of worship nationwide facing existential threats such as declining membership, aging congregations and an unwinnable financial situation.
Bogacki called attention in his letter to changes in demographics and churchgoing habits in Wauwatosa, a city of about 48,000 people with five Catholic parishes and six more nearby. As is the story elsewhere in the country, Catholic institutions were at their peak in the 1950s and 60s, and a downturn began in the 1970s. People began to have fewer children, and the high concentration of Catholic churches and schools in the area no longer fits the needs of residents.
“Our area parishes — as a group — have been operating far below their intended capacity for several decades,” he said. “The moment to choose to change our trajectory is now.”
Other local Catholic churches have closed, merged
Parish leaders have chosen a developer to whom they will sell the St. Bernard property, and proceeds of the sale will serve as an infusion of cash to carry the newly merged parish forward, Bogacki said.
The St. Bernard campus will continue to be used while the new developer, who was not named in Bogacki’s letter, seeks approval for its plans from the city. That could take six to nine months, he said.
“I am confident about our future. I challenge us to become larger and more robust than our two parishes within the next few years,” Bogacki said. “God placed us in this moment to create something new and exciting.”
St. Bernard joins other local Catholic parishes that have merged with neighboring churches. Last year St. Florian Parish in West Milwaukee shut down and merged with Holy Assumption Parish in West Milwaukee. In 2021, the Catholic parish in Riverwest, Our Lady of Divine Providence, decommissioned its Our Lady of Czestochowa location after it sat unused for years.
When St. Bernard Parish held its first Mass in 1911, it became the first Catholic church in Wauwatosa. Construction on the current parish complex began in 1962.
Wauwatosa Catholic School, the elementary school on the grounds, was operated jointly by St. Bernard and St. Pius X parishes beginning in 2011.
WELLS, Maine — A developer has revised his plans to build new homes on wooded land at 502 Post Road.
Arnie J. Martel, of AJM Construction, said he is now hoping to build 165 single-family townhouses on 121 acres.
In his original application, Martel said he sought to build more than 100 new homes and as many as 40 new townhouses on 44 acres at the site. Martel withdrew that application, which the Wells Planning Board was set to receive on March 4.
Martel confirmed he submitted a new application, which corrects or clarifies some of the details in the original and slightly reconfigures the layout.
“We just made non-substantial changes,” Martel said.
In an email, town engineer Michael Livingston confirmed that the Planning Board is scheduled to receive the new subdivision pre-application at its next meeting on March 18. Livingston also said the board will likely schedule a site visit at the property.
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Erik Poulin of Jones & Beach Engineers of New Hampshire is the project manager for the site and is representing Martel.
Martel said he is buying 114 of the 120 acres from Richard Jorgensen, who owns an antique shop at the location. He said he is purchasing the final six acres from The Morrison Center. The properties fall within the town’s general business, 75-foot shoreland overlay, and rural districts.
Martel said he is proposing the construction of three buildings with six townhouses each, with the remaining 147 townhouses as standalone structures. The lone townhouses will be approximately 1,600 square feet, he added.Martel said the new community would be “private and self-contained.”
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Residents have discussed Martel’s development plans on social media. On the “Wells, Maine” Facebook page, one post generated a lengthy discussion in which people expressed concerns regarding zoning, taxes, traffic, housing, quality of life, the potential impact on schools, the rate of development in the community, and other topics.
Martel said his project is not likely to impact or overwhelm local schools, as, in his experience, the people who buy townhouses don’t typically have young children. Families with children tend to seek out larger living spaces, he said.
“Usually, there aren’t a lot of kids in townhouse subdivisions,” Martel said. “People are looking for simpler living.”