Latest Pine Oaks Village Project Goes To Appeals Board

HARWICH – The Pine Oaks Village IV project will go before the appeals board for a comprehensive permit for 242 rental units, which will include a range of income mixes in accordance with state requirements for low or moderate income housing. 

The hearing will be held on Thursday, April 24  at 6:30 p.m. in town hall.

The plan calls for developing the units in five lodge buildings and five townhouse buildings on the 31.24-acre property located in the Residential Low Density Zone on Queen Anne Rd. The project is proposed to include 85 one-bedroom units, 132-two bedroom units, and 25 three-bedroom units. Four of the five lodge buildings will contain 42 units and most of the townhouses eight units.

The application was filed by Mid Cape Church Homes, Inc. and Queen Anne Acres LLC. According to the narrative, the project site consists of seven parcels, of which four are owned by co-applicant Queen Anne Acres LLC. Co-applicant Mid Cape Church Homes, Inc. has a purchase and sales agreement to acquire the remaining three parcels. The applicant has control of the land as required by the regulations, attorney Peter Freeman wrote in the narrative.

The select board raised issues over the applicant’s control of ownership of the entire site in a January letter to the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) as the agency was assessing a project eligibility letter, which it issued April 2.

“With respect to site control, EOHLC acknowledges the concerns raised by town officials…as to whether the applicant has control over the full site,” the letter reads. “The applicant’s counsel has provided EOHLC with additional documentation supporting its position that the applicant controls the full site.” 

EOHLC performed an on-site inspection and determined it is appropriate for the project, according to the letter. The project appears financially feasible in the context of the Harwich housing market, the agency added.

The application seeks a number of waivers for buildings and uses not otherwise allowed in the zoning bylaw, including multifamily residential use and buildings, buildings greater than two stories, and waivers from height and parking requirements.

 The project calls for 50 units to be built in the first phase. The density would be eight units per acre, with the proposed building improvements using 9 percent of the property, and parking, paved areas and other impervious surfaces using 21 percent, leaving 70 percent as open space.

 The plan is to have the 50 units in the first phase tied into a Title 5 innovative alternative septic system, and with the completion of the second phase all buildings would connect to a new wastewater treatment facility. All units will be connected to the municipal water system.

 All 242 units would be added to the state’s subsidized housing inventory list.