Faced with an uprising of outspoken neighbors, a deadline quickly slipping away, and talk of the land going back on the market, Pulte Homes may have abandoned its plan for a condo project in North Plymouth.
The news would mark the end of a yearlong fight by neighbors to kill the project they said would destroy the neighborhood.
They argued the 163-unit development – which would have included 41 affordable units – would be a blight on the quiet residential neighborhood between Prince Street and Sandri Drive.
Carol Jankowski, among the most outspoken opponents, said she is hopeful Pulte has given up, but is waiting a bit longer before she will “dance around the neighborhood, open champagne and throw a party!”
Pulte Homes representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Meg Sheehan, whose family owns the property where the development was planned, said she believes the land is going to be up for sale again.
“I hear the property is being put back on the market,” she said. “They could try to make another offer and change the project. I don’t know.”
Sheehan said Pulte pulling out of the real estate contract signals the deal may be dead, but it could mean the development company might try to renegotiate the price or reimagine the project.
There were signs of looming problems in August, when Plymouth’s Conservation Commission denied Pulte Homes required permits.
Pulte could have appealed to the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to reverse the decision. It also could have filed a new application with the Commission.
So far, Pulte has done neither.
But the Sept. 15 deadline for Pulte to appeal the permit denials has passed.
An appeal is still possible, according to a DEP spokeswoman who said if the appeal was postmarked, but not received, by the deadline, it would be accepted.
Over the past several months, the future of the three-building development has become murky.
Pulte originally won approval for the project under the state’s 40B law, which favors developers who set aside a percentage of the project for affordable housing.
After the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals — which held more than a dozen public hearings — issued the required permit, the developer still needed the approval of the town’s Conservation Commission.
The commission requested a “peer review” — an analysis by an outside environmental consultant who could help the panel evaluate the project.
Conservation Commission member Paul Denoncourt, who was acting chair on the case, told the Independent the panel requested the outside analysis because of “the complicated” nature of the project.
Denoncourt said none of the commissioners are lawyers and they wanted an outside firm to advise them on the controversial aspect of the location, and an interpretation of the state’s Wetland Protection Act.
“We want to do the right thing and that requires that we know and understand all the facts and can discern facts from opinion,” he said at the time.
But the peer review was never done, commissioners said, and Pulte asked for multiple continuances.
In August, Pulte officials asked for a third continuance, this time not appearing in person to explain why they needed another delay.
The Conservation Commission then voted to deny the permits, leaving Pulte two options: Appeal the decision to state officials at the DEP, or reapply for permits and start the process over again.
Sheehan – who has said she would not take her share of the millions of dollars in expected proceeds from the sale of the land – is hoping the properties can be turned into a community park.
She said if the property is sold to another developer, she would like to see “truly affordable, low-density homes where people have open space and access to nature, the beach and walking trails.”
Sheehan has also proposed using special state funds to restore a nearby stream – running from Hedge Pond to the ocean – that is home to endangered American eels and herring.
Month after month, North Plymouth residents turned out for ZBA and Select Board meetings to oppose the three-building project, planned to be spread over almost three acres between Prince Street and Sandri Drive.
They cited increased traffic, lack of sufficient parking and a size grossly out of scale with the quiet tight-knit neighborhood lined with narrow streets.
They urged state and federal regulators to step in, arguing the complex would pose serious risks to people and the environment.
Hundreds of residents signed a petition, requesting the state DEP and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency step in to determine the potential impact of the three proposed buildings — the largest of which would sit next to a still-monitored EPA Superfund site.
State Sen. Dylan Fernandes and Select Board member Kevin Canty also urged DEP to intercede.
“I have personally called on the state to halt the Pulte 40B project in North Plymouth,” said Fernandes. “We will continue to raise environmental and community concerns to the state and work with the community for the project to not move forward.”
On Thursday, Canty said Pulte’s possible withdrawal would be “a great victory for North Plymouth.”
“We can meet our affordable housing needs with other developers that know how to play nice with others,” he said. “They will not be missed.”
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.