Lakeville continues talks on proposed country club redevelopment

LAKEVILLE — Although the proposed Lakeville Country Club redevelopment by Thorndike Development offers financial benefits, residents are concerned with other impacts the 418 unit housing development could bring to Lakeville.

The fiscal impacts of the proposed development were presented to the Select Board on Tuesday, Jan. 20. Although the meeting focused on the developer’s impact analysis — citing over $2.3 million in annual revenue for the town — questions of other impacts were raised. 

The proposed redevelopment of the Lakeville Country Club would re-create the current golf course, shrinking it from 18 holes to 9 in order to create room for additional buildings on the grounds. Along with 418 condos, the developer would construct a new clubhouse and driving range open to the public at the 44 Clear Pond Road location.

The housing will be age-restricted for residents 55 years or older. No school-aged children will be allowed to live in the development, a benefit developers touted as education costs for towns can be considerable burdens on municipalities' budgets. 

Lloyd Geisinger, Thorndike Development’s president, said the project would take 10 years to complete.

The possible costs to the town’s general fund, which come from costs like public safety and public works, total about $680,000 according to the developer's analysis. The revenues that could stem from the development are around $3 million. 

That leaves the town with an estimated $2.3 million in general fund revenues. 

“For every dollar of the general fund spent on this project, [the fund] would get more than $4 back in revenue,” said Craig Seymour, the developer’s fiscal impact analyst.

Before construction could begin, the area would need zoning changes. An overlay to zone residential construction with an age stipulation would need to be approved by Town Meeting in June.

Select Board Member Christopher Plonka showed interest in how the development could bring monetary benefits to Lakeville.

“I have a lot of faith and confidence in Lloyd and Craig's work, and I think this is a great opportunity for Lakeville,” he said. “If these numbers pan out, I think any net revenue generated is a win for the community.”

The estimated revenues come largely from property taxes, and also include revenues from EMS services, motor vehicle excise taxes and revenues from the Community Preservation Act.

Lakeville resident Bob Marshall said if the town moves forward with the Master Development Agreement, he’d like to see the board have an “iron clad” assurance the housing will remain only for senior residents.

“That's been a long standing concern of mine,”  Marshall said, noting the high price tag education costs have if the town had to support school-aged children living at the development.

This development agreement outlines mutual commitments between the developer and the town. The developer would commit to their planned improvements on the site, fund nearby infrastructure improvements and revamp Clear Pond Park.

The town’s commitments in the agreement include creating the zoning overlays Town Meeting will later vote on, and helping the developer obtain grants for off-site work.  

Lakeville resident Melisa Turcotte said she lives across the street from the country club. She said although she understands the fiscal benefits, she is concerned about noise and light pollution, traffic and the removal of trees currently separating the development from nearby households.

She said the development’s proposed on-site waste water treatment facility is her largest concern. 

“That scares the ‘bejesus’ out of me, because we all have well water,"  Turcotte said. "Who will monitor that to make sure there's no problems or anything?”

Planning Board Chair Michele MacEachern said the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection handles water oversight, but the board will consider all impacts to infrastructure in future meetings with the developer.

Members of Thorndike Development will continue to work on their proposal with town officials, and plan to host community outreach events next month.