Developer plans to break ground on Rochester Crossroads in spring
Oct 31, 2022
The sign for the Rochester Crossroads development. Photo by: Gillian English
The undeveloped site at for the Rochester Crossroads. Photo by: Gillian English
The approved plans from the Jan. 26 2021 meeting. Photo courtesy: The Town of Rochester
ROCHESTER – Construction for the 208-unit Rochester Crossroads project is expected to begin in the spring of 2023, said developer Kenneth Steen of Steen Realty.
Since its initial proposal in April 2019, the plan for Rochester Crossroads underwent many changes before the Planning Board gave its approval on Jan. 26, 2021. At that Jan. 26 meeting, the developer stated that the project was ready to begin.
As of Oct. 28, construction has not begun on the site, even though their year-long permit expires in less than three months.
Steen stated that the reasons for the project's delays were “generally attributed to the changing economic conditions” since they submitted the initial proposal to the town.
Steen has plans to come before the Planning Board in November to renew the permit before it expires.
“It’s been a pleasurable experience working with the town of Rochester to get this thing approved and to move it along,” Steen said.
The 30-acre project, located at the intersection of Route 58 and Cranberry Highway, will be a mixed-use development with 10 acres reserved for apartments and the other 20 for commercial use.
Some of the 208 apartments in the complex will fall under Chapter 40R — a regulation which promotes the construction of affordable housing.
Under 40R, overlay districts — or special zoning districts which allow for the construction of high-density housing — are used to promote the construction of affordable housing while giving local officials more say in how it’s done.
The 40R housing included in the project will bring Rochester above the 10% affordable housing threshold required by the state.
“The rest of the units will be market rate,” Durfee explained. “This project is a very big deal. It will result in a large influx of new residents.”
The town recently received an $800,000 MassWorks grant from the state to pay for needed infrastructure improvements for the site.
Cannon said that the money will be primarily designated to pay for the construction of a water line from the Wareham Water District to the project site. Some of the funds will go to pay for the construction of a bus stop near the project site.
