New Plan for Rattlesnake Hill Features 100-Acre Subdivision

After a year of talks of developing Rattlesnake Hill by Brickstone Development, zoning for a significantly different plan for the area will be up for a vote at this year's special town meeting.

Instead of a 624-unit senior housing project that was previously proposed, Rattlesnake Hill will instead have up to 98 homes in a clustered subdivision on roughly 100 acres of land. The rest of the 235 acres will be returned to the town as a gift, though conservation restrictions, or simply purchased.

According to selectman Bill Heitin, the cost that has currently been negotiated is $3 million.

“Is it the best plan? The answer is no. The best plan would be if we could buy all the land like we’ve tried to for the past 30 years. That would be ideal but that is not an option as we know and tried a number of times,” Heitin said.

If the town is able to obtain the land, some of it could be designated for municipal use, which could lead to such projects as a new ball field or fire pump station in the area in the near future.

There will also be no development on Mountain Street unlike past proposals.

For sewage, the subdivision will have it’s own central wastewater treatment plant that will be maintained by the neighborhood’s housing authority.

Once the permits are approved, any zoning for senior housing and Chapter 40B low income housing will be nullified.

The new proposal comes after years of attempts by Brickstone Development to create a senior housing project. In addition to the 624-units, there were also plans for a par-3 golf course, a 150-bed nursing facility and six building up to eight stories tall.

The zoning for the proposal will be up for a vote at the special town meeting on Nov. 4.