It's a change in plan based on a change in the Connecticut housing market.
The developer that put forward a conceptual plan for more than 200 carriage houses near Evergreen Walk and the Plaza at Buckland Hills is now looking into the possibility of building apartments instead.
The demand for condo-style owner-occupied carriage houses isn't as steady as it appeared last year, but interest in rental units still appears strong, according to consultant Donald Poland.
"While the carriage house style of development and common interest community remains feasible and is favored by Downeast LLC, recent market shifts and uncertainty have softened market interests in the carriage house development style," Poland told South Windsor planners in a letter last week.
Downeast last year told the town that retail development simply wasn't going to happen on its 57-acre tract behind the Plaza at Buckland Hills, an undeveloped property that investors held for nearly 40 years in hopes of creating stores and restaurants.
With guidance from town planning officials, Downeast came up with a conceptual plan for a senior living complex with more than 240 carriage houses, mostly two or three side-by-side along a network of new roadways. The plan was for a 55-and-over age restriction, and the units would be owned with a common interest association providing amenities and service.
The town wrote zoning rules to make that possible. The company never submitted a formal development application, and it now wants to leave open the possibility of developing a different model.
Downeast isn't abandoning the carriage house possibility, but wants South Windsor to amend the new zoning rules to also allow apartments. Those, too, would be age restricted.
"This would create greater flexibility and market opportunities for the zone and site," Poland wrote.
Some planning and zoning commissioners met last winter with town staff, Downeast representatives and some neighboring property owners to discuss development options for the property. They agreed on three key goals: A project would have to be economically viable, produce only minimal impact on nearby homeowners, and increase tax revenue without substantially driving up municipal costs -- for example, by drawing an influx of additional school children.
Sports facilities or solar farms wouldn't generate enough value, Downeast said, and the company and neighbors agreed that retail wasn't a good option.
"Given the state of the current commercial/retail market, where retail rents don't justify current construction cost, it could be years before fundamentals support new construction of retail," according to a summary of the discussions.
Downeast is now considering a new plan that would cluster housing in three-story buildings in the middle of the tract, leaving large sections of open space in all directions.
After Poland gave an informal presentation Tuesday night, the planning and zoning commission indicated it would be open to amending the zoning rules to allow apartments there.
"I think the green space idea is good," Commissioner Robert Vetere said. "Personally I like the idea of carriage houses instead. For seniors who live in town, moving into an apartment as opposed to moving into your own carriage house -- to me, it would be much more preferable moving into the carriage house."
The earlier carriage house plan also included the option for building a store and restaurant on the property, he noted.
"But you know, if it comes down to 'it just can't be done dollarwise,' then I guess the other plan is worth listening to," Vetere said.
Downeast's next move would be to propose the zoning amendment and, if that passes, seek zoning approval for a specific plan.