In North Attleboro, Massachusetts, residents who were initially concerned over a proposed manufactured home community, have changed their tune now that the developer has abandoned a controversial part of the project.

According to The Sun Chronicle, residents were at odds with the developer of Westcott Estates, a manufactured home community planned on 23 acres beginning last spring. The issue was over a street entry to the community, which residents said would affect their property values and bring unwanted traffic to the winding road.

“We don’t have sidewalks or street lights, and it’s a very curvy road,” said area resident Lisa Forsgard. “We’ve had many accidents on that road and we know how tough a road it is to maneuver.”

Forsgard lives directly across the street from the proposed entry, which prompted her to join other neighborhood residents at zoning board and selectmen meetings last spring to protest the development.

After the protests, developers decided to scrap the idea for the entryway on the proposed road and move it to an adjacent one. Forsgard says that with that move, her concerns were addressed.

“They own the land and are allowed to do whatever they want with it,” said Forsgard. “We know there is going to be change. We just wanted to protect the integrity of our neighborhood.”

Westcott Estates will be a 55 and over community, and developers also made it clear to area residents that the community will be made up of modern manufactured homes on concrete slabs, not the “trailers” that many envision.

For Don Baker, he was pleased to see that the developer was amenable to some concerns by the neighborhood.

“I’m hoping to work with them rather than against them,” said Baker.

“As long as they continue to build responsibly and appropriately, it should be fine. The only concern I still have is that it doesn’t affect the lifestyle of the residents.”

With the changes by the developer, the planning board recently approved the project with certain conditions. The community must include a walking trail, two benches, two overhead lights, two dog waste bag dispensers and one dog waste bin.

Planning officials also mandated snow removal from the lot within 48 hours of a snowstorm.

The developer will now have to record the plans for the community and begin consultations with contractors.

As Daily Business News readers are aware, stories pitting developers against residents have been in the news recently, including the case of a proposed MHC in Iberia Parish, Louisiana.

In most instances, inaccurate information and misconceptions about manufactured housing communities leads to cases of NIMBY (Not-In-My-Back-Yard).

But in the case of the North Attleboro development, there appears to be hope for progress through communication.

“Our concerns were listened to,” said Forsgard. “Now, we’ll just have to see how it goes when it’s put in.” ##

 

(Image credits are as shown above.)

 

Submitted by RC Williams to the Daily Business News for MHProNews.