WESTBROOK — A plan to develop the former Twin Falls Golf Club was approved by the planning board in November, but there is now a question of when – and even if – the property gets developed.
Westbrook Housing Group LLC, a subsidy of Priority Real Estate Group in Topsham, purchased the 67-acre property in June 2016 for $1.2 million and was planning to develop the property into a 36-unit residential neighborhood. Plans also include four commercial sites, as well as open space and a trail system.
“We have it on a temporary hold,” said Jim Howard, president and CEO of Priority Real Estate Group said. “I don’t think there is any question at some point in time we want to get that project done.”
The issue is finding time to fit the development of the project into his company’s already busy schedule. Priority Real Estate Group, Howard said, is the largest developer at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station and has a number of other projects in the works across the state.
“At some point we are going to get to Westbrook. All the work will queue up right and we can start to focus on it,” he said.
When that time comes, Westbrook Housing Group LLC will have to appear before the planning board to get approval to do the project again.
Assistant City Planner Rebecca Spitella said the approval granted by the board in November 2018 is now void because the plans were not properly filed with the Cumberland County Registry of Deeds. The applicant had 90 days to do so from the date of planning board approval.
“A brand new application would be needed and it would have to go through its own planning board process,” Spitella said last week.
The future homes, dubbed Twin Falls Landing, were being marketed through Maine Life Real Estate Company in Scarborough and were going to be custom built by Gray’s General Contracting Inc. in Hollis. The lots along the looping interior roads were to range from a third of an acre to almost 2 acres. Homes were to start at 1,800 square feet and be priced at a minimum of $550,000.
Howard said his intention would be to still develop the site into a 36-unit residentual development with four commercial sites.
How the commercial lots were to be developed was not part of the proposal for the residential neighborhood, as those development proposals would have had to come back before the board for site plan approval. Howard said the sites are zoned to allow for something like a neighborhood market or a dental, medical or professional office.
A condition of approval put on the project by the planning board back in November was that none of the development, including the commercial lots, would be accessed from Spring Street.
Tom Clarke, who lives across Spring Street from the former golf course, said his concern with the project had to do with the commercial element in part because of the visual impact from the street and the additional traffic those businesses would generate.
“I didn’t like what was going in there before, but sometimes the second plan is worse. You never know,” he said.
Michael Kelley can be reached at 780-9106 or mkelley@keepmecurrent.com or on Twitter @mkelleynews.
Although the sign advertising the subdivison is still on site, the developer behind Twin Falls Landing has put plans to develop the former golf course on hold.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
