Representatives of a family that owns nearly 80 acres of land off West Main Road in Little Compton pitched a new major subdivision to the town's planning board last week.
Engineer Bill Smith and …
This item is available in full to subscribers.
Please log in to continue |
Register to post eventsIf you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here. Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content. |
Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.
Representatives of a family that owns nearly 80 acres of land off West Main Road in Little Compton pitched a new major subdivision to the town's planning board last week.
Engineer Bill Smith and attorney Cort Chappell, speaking on behalf of the J. William Middendorf II Revocable Trust, have not yet submitted a formal plan. But they are expected to, and met with board members last Tuesday, Jan. 7, to introduce their plan for four house lots, and at least two open space lots, on a 26.9-acre parcel of land at 565B West Main Road, just north of Swamp Road.
That land is appraised in the town's assessment database at nearly $4.2 million but as it is currently classified as dairy, is assessed by the town at $8,100. Based on the town's $4.96 tax rate, it is estimated to generate $40.18 in property taxes this year.
Though little information apart from an engineer's map was presented last Tuesday, the plan includes:
• Four home lots at 2.03, 2.03, 2.68 and 3.44 acres, two of which would have direct frontage on the Sakonnet River;
• One open space parcel at 4.73 acres;
• And one open space parcel at 8.64 acres.
The homes would be laid out to the south and west of a new cul de sac that would run west from the property's terminus adjacent to West Main Road via a new 40-foot right of way. The open space lots would be to the north of the house lots.
Planning board chairman Michael Steers said this week that the development is only a proposal at this point, and the town has not yet received an application. Still, he acknowledged that there is no affordable housing component to the plan and there are a lot of questions, and wariness, from residents, many of whom attended the meeting.
“This is something new and as is the case with open land that has animals and is farmed, people like to think that it is always going to be that way. So if it is going to change, change is always a challenge.”
The property is owned by the family of J. William Middendorf II, 100, a retired United States diplomat who served as Secretary of the Navy in the 1970s, was US Ambassador to the Netherlands, and has long been involved in Republican politics.
The family owns three other lots in the area, including:
• 561 West Main Road, a four-acre lot appraised by the town at $1.795 million and assessed at $1.6839 million;
• 565 West Main Road, a 12.01-acre lot appraised at $463,300 and assessed at $92,600;
• And 565A West Main Road, a 35-acre lot with a home appraised at a total of $4.1272 million and assessed at $2.9196 million.