ENFIELD — A developer is proposing to build a neighborhood of single-family homes on about 18 acres of land off Main Street in downtown Enfield.
The proposal, known as Woodbury Farm, calls for building 19 housing units on two parcels of land — 126 and 130 Main Street — across the street from the Northern Rail Trail and nearby a small water body known as “the frog pond.”
“We really wanted to focus on having a slightly different type of home than is available in this area,” Adam Grounds, co-founder of Boston-based real estate development company Copper Acres, said in a recording of a Wednesday, March 25 Enfield Planning Board meeting. “Something that’s going to be a little bit smaller, a little easier to maintain, energy efficient, very water efficient.”
Current designs call for a mix of one-story, one-and-a-half story and two-story homes with up to three bedrooms. The homes, which would start at around 1,200 square feet, would be designed in “cottage court” style where they would share lawns. Each home would also have a garage.
Additionally, current plans call for renovating the existing single-family home at 130 Main St. and building a duplex on that lot, Grounds said, stressing that the proposal is still in the early stages.
The project does not have a firm estimated cost, Grounds said. But, the goal is to have each unit cost less than New Hampshire’s median sales price, which was $525,000 in February, according to the New Hampshire Association of Realtors. The median sales price in Grafton County during that same time period was $359,375.
Members of the town’s Planning Board seemed to be open to Grounds’ proposal during last week’s meeting.
“Conceptually it’s clear you’ve made a real effort to create something that would be attractive in the market, attractive to the community and mesh with our architectural character,” Planning Board member Nate Miller said in the meeting recording.
Other members noted that they liked the size of the proposed homes and the way they are situated on the property.
“It’s a nice creative plan,” Erik Russell, who is the Selectboard representative on the Planning Board, said in the meeting recording. “It’ll fit in well.”
The project will need at least two variances from the town’s Zoning Board of Development, said Rob Taylor, Enfield’s land use and community development administrator. One variance would be to have more than one structure per lot.
The project also will likely need a variance related to wetlands on the property, as current plans call for a road connecting the cottage-style homes to go through a wetland buffer area.
“Our intent is very much to develop in a responsible way and to be careful with the natural resources that are available and preserve much of the site,” Grounds, a Dartmouth College graduate, said in the meeting recording. More than 50% of the 18 acres of land would be left alone, as forest or open land, according to current plans.
The properties are on the town’s water and sewer system. Grounds said his company is studying how much water the development is projected to use.
In Enfield, the Selectboard acts as the town’s Water Commissioners and would have to approve any new connections to the system.
Mascoma Lake, the town library and various eateries, among other amenities, are within a half-mile of the site.
“What really inspired me about this property in particular is its location right on Main Street,” Grounds, who is also working on a project to redevelop the Hotel Coolidge block in downtown White River Junction, wrote in an email about the proposed location of Woodbury Farm.
“Enfield has a charming historic rural feel, but it is also an incredibly walkable village,” he wrote.
The goal is to start phase one of the project, which involves the single-family home at 130 Main St., later this year. Grounds emphasized that the timeline is subject to permits. In addition to approval from Enfield’s zoning and planning boards, the project also would require approval from the New Hampshire departments of environmental services and transportation.
