The Joseph R. Mullins Co., a Braintree-based developer, wants to create Old English Square, a pedestrian-friendly shopping village and residential community featuring luxury condominiums and townhouses in Holbrook.
In five weeks, Holbrook voters will be deciding on a zoning change that could clear the way for a development unlike any other the town has seen.
A Braintree-based developer has proposed a shopping village and residential community with luxury condominiums in the heart of this small bedroom community just south of Boston. But to get the mixed-use project approved, the developer, The Joseph R. Mullins Co., must convince the town to create a rail transit district – a zoning option that currently doesn’t exist in Holbrook.
The development of new suburban town centers, like the Old English Square retail and residential villages being proposed in Holbrook, has become one of the hottest real estate trends in the country. In fact, town centers are currently outperforming traditional suburban real estate products, according to an article in the February issue of Urban Land, which is a magazine published by the Urban Land Institute, a 17,000-member group of real estate developers and land-use policymakers.
Town centers can take many forms, including town squares or transit villages, and often feature space for offices, retail, housing, entertainment and other activities. Even though the town center concept has been around for more than a decade, many lenders still don’t understand them and developers often encounter zoning roadblocks when they propose such mixed-use projects, according to Urban Land.
In Holbrook, there has been mixed reaction to the proposed Old English Square, according to Planning Board Chairman George Jameson. Some have been supportive of it because the $40 million project could potentially generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in extra tax revenue and increase property values.
But one of the main concerns that Holbrook officials have with any new residential development is the impact it will have on services, explained Town Administrator Phillip Warren Jr.
‘A New Concept’
The Mullins Co. wants to build a retail village with 36,000 square feet of retail and office space and 28 housing units, and a residential community with 315 luxury condominiums on a 79-acre site on Union Street. The residential units will be a mix of one- and two-bedroom condos. The development would be located within walking distance of an MBTA stop on the commuter line, hence the creation of a rail transit district.
“The potential exists for a project that size to have a significant impact on services such as schools and recreation and we don’t know yet what the impact will be on sewer and water,” said Warren.
If approved, Old English Square would be one of the largest mixed-use projects Holbrook has ever seen, said Jameson. “It’s a new concept,” he said.
That concept – a pedestrian-friendly mixed-use development near public transportation – embraces the smart-growth principles touted by the administration of Gov. Mitt Romney. Yet many administration officials, as part of their anti-sprawl agenda, have embraced the creation of dense mixed-used projects in already developed urban areas that have the infrastructure to support them.
Holbrook, which totals roughly seven square miles and has about 11,000 residents, consists mostly of single-family homes, with a few small industrial/commercial areas. Through bylaws passed throughout the years, the town has either restricted or banned the development of mixed-use properties, duplexes and multifamily housing. Jameson said the goal of such bylaws was “to keep away from absentee landlords” and instead encourage the development of owner-occupied homes.
“That’s what we prefer in town,” he said.
There are rental units in Holbrook, however. Back in the 1980s, for example, Corcoran Mullins Jennison developed Ramblewood Apartments – 308 units on Route 37 near the Braintree line. Joseph R. Mullins, the founder and president of the Mullins Co., was a partner with CMJ.
The site of the proposed Old English Square is zoned for commercial purposes and is currently vacant. The land used to be owned by a family that operated a dairy farm, but eventually sold it to a company that had a driving range onsite. The company planned to build a sports complex but went bankrupt. The Mullins Co. purchased the land for $1.4 million.
“We found the land … and we felt we got a good buy on it,” said Michael J. Mullins, director of development for the Mullins Co.
Originally the company intended to build rental units on the site and mix the residential components with the commercial and retail. The idea for rental units was abandoned when the developers met with the abutters of the proposed project. Neighbors were much more interested in having owner-occupied condominiums nearby, said Mullins.
“The first thing we did … was meet with a number of residents who live around the site,” said Mullins. “We wanted to know what could make the project attractive to them and how to win their support.”
The neighbors told the developers they were interested in seeing a recreational field and bike path implemented into the villages, and now those too will be included in the design. About 379,000 square feet of the site will be developed. Fourteen acres at the back portion of the site toward Holbrook Lake will be preserved as open or park space that could be used by the public, said Mullins.
Jameson said the developers have been trying to work with the community. “They’re trying to tailor the project to our concerns,” said Jameson.
And in an effort to keep the town informed, the Mullins Co. recently unveiled an interactive Web site about the project, www.oldenglishsquare.com, which residents and town officials can access for updated information.
“Our feeling was if we can come up with a development that will get the support of our neighbors, our abutters and town officials, then we hope that the rest of the town would support it too,” said Mullins.
Earlier this month, the Planning Board held a hearing about the zoning change, which was continued to April 24. The Planning Board and Finance Committee will make their recommendations on the zoning change, but it’s up to the Town Meeting members on May 19 to decide whether the Union Street site will be rezoned.
