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Yarmouth committee previews five design concepts for Mattacheese site, schedules public meeting
Summary
The Community Housing Committee reviewed five conceptual plans for the Mattacheese property that mix housing, recreation and a possible school; the town will host a public comment meeting Feb. 25 and the Select Board will see the plans on Feb. 3.
The Town of Yarmouth Community Housing Committee on Jan. 12 reviewed five conceptual plans for the Mattacheese Utilization Project at 400 Higgins Crowell Road that seek to combine new housing with recreational facilities and, in some options, a small school.
Meggan Eldredge, the town’s Community Development Director, summarized alternatives produced by BSC Group. Alternative A places housing on the south side of the property and adds a sports complex with four full-sized fields, a community building and playground but no school; housing would include two three-story apartment buildings of about 30 units each, a six-unit townhouse and cluster subdivisions with an emergency-access road. Alternative B adds a small school (ME Small School), reconfigures housing into three two-story apartment buildings of roughly 20 units each and six townhouses, and expands single-family lots along Chickadee Lane. Concept C1 removes the school and increases housing through single-family lots and multiple four-unit townhouses; C1 Solar relocates housing to preserve a solar field that could be maintained. Alternative C2 omits a school and maximizes space for the sports facility, proposing a fifth multi-use field and a housing mix including single-family homes and three 20-unit apartment buildings.
Eldredge said the plans reflect trade-offs among recreation, housing density and school siting, and noted state funding constraints that favor three-bedroom units for certain subsidy programs. She also described a potential municipal-only housing model that would require town employment and lease definitions, and a goal to form a public/private partnership to allow Recreation Department use of the proposed athletic facilities.
The committee discussed local preference for affordable units and the timing of offers; Eldredge and staff noted a local-preference cap commonly used in the proposals of up to 70 percent. A public meeting for the Mattacheese Utilization Committee (MUC) is scheduled for Feb. 25 to gather community comment, and the Select Board will be presented the concepts on Feb. 3.
The committee did not take a final vote on any specific design at the Jan. 12 meeting. The project remains in a planning and feasibility stage with further technical and community input to follow.
