Woodstone at York Village: Plan to scrap 55-plus homes finds support, opposition
YORK, Maine — A major amendment to the housing development at the former Davis property could soon receive approval pending a few remaining details requested by the town Planning Board.
The developer of Woodstone at York Village is looking to drop an age 55-and-up requirement for several units still being built, as well as a shift from several quadruplexes to single-family homes. What stands in the way are a few questions from the Planning Board not related to the core proposed changes but matters one board member described as “housekeeping.”
The questions concern wildlife management, open spaces, and the recreational area at the development.
Board members questioned at their Dec. 28 meeting whether a meadow was the best choice for recreational space or a playground as originally proposed.
Planning Board Chair Wayne Boardman said the playground was never included in the originally approved plans.
Planning Board member David Woods II said he was concerned the nearby school’s sports facilities could see new wear and tear from additional children living nearby. He asked if a basketball court or a similar facility could be included.
Engineer Lawrence Beals, working with the developer JHR, said the meadow should provide enough recreational space while preserving the natural habitat for wildlife such as salamanders and turtles.
Boardman agreed it was better to leave the natural setting intact.
“It would be nice if there was a big flat play area, but that would require a lot of work and a lot of removal of natural native habitat,” Boardman said. “Which I would rather not see myself.”
Board members did not discuss the core changes proposed in the amendment — dropping the age limit and shifting to more single-family homes. Beals said the change will result in a reduction of structures from 67 to 53. He said the developer's decision was based on “market information.”
Boardman said reviewing the amendment brought up loose ends Beals agreed to address at the next Planning Board meeting.
The board, he said, didn't seem concerned about removing the age restriction or changing the types of units built.
“The board didn’t seem to express any strong feelings about that, any strong opposition to it,” Boardman said. “Something could change, but that was the impression the members gave.”
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The development of the Davis property has been controversial in town, as some residents have seen the construction as a loss of York’s open spaces. The 103 acres of mostly untouched land sold to developer JHR in 2022.
The woodlands have since been cut down to make way for more than 100 homes preapproved by the Planning Board.
Recently, as JHR seeks to amend its plans, critics of the project have come from the Donica Road neighborhood, where many residents have claimed their properties suffered flooding from construction nearby.
Beals has said the flooding was not caused by the Woodstone development, but residents have remained skeptical.
“I don’t think this development should be allowed to continue until all the issues with all the abutters from this are rectified,” said Mike Micciche of River Farm Road in the Nov. 30 Planning Board meeting’s public comment session.
Micciche also touched on the proposal to remove the age restriction and bring in more single-family homes, saying more children will add to the school budget and be disruptive to the neighborhood.
“This change would most likely result in more traffic since younger families use the vehicles more on a daily basis as opposed to having a two-person senior household,” Micciche said.
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Planning Board member Peter Smith said he feels sympathetic to residents living near the development like those on Donica Road. However, he said there is no evidence that Donica Road is dealing with any runoff actually coming from the Woodstone development.
Smith said he believes the originally approved age restriction was not necessary and that is why he is not opposed to the change in plans. The pending questions about open spaces and wildlife, he said, amount to “housekeeping.” He said opponents of the project had their chance to stop the development when the land was offered to the town for purchase.
“The people in the town of York should have voted to buy the land five years ago and made a park out of it, in my opinion,” Smith said. “Seeing that they didn’t, I don’t think anybody has much to complain about.”
One former Planning Board member argues the board should consider rejecting the proposed change in plans.
Lewis Stowe, who served on the board when the project was initially approved, said people who bought homes in the development did so thinking that it would be mostly seniors.
“They bought it with the understanding there was going to be an adult community there,” Stowe said. “All of a sudden, they’re changing it.”
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This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Woodstone at York Village: Plan to scrap 55-plus homes debated
