ROCHESTER — Voters at Town Meeting approved a special district that would allow a proposed housing development project to move on to the Planning Board process and a change in energy management that would have little impact on consumers. 

Dartmouth-based Steen Realty and Development Corporation proposed a 208 unit housing and commercial development at the intersection of routes 58 and 28. The apartments, built under a section of state law called 40R, would provide a number of financial incentives to the town both initially and annually, and may also provide school funding if the development attracts enough children to cause an above-average strain on the school system. 

The project would allow Rochester to fulfill all of its ten percent affordable housing requirement, but would require a special district called a smart growth overlay district to allow for residential building in a general commercial zone. Town Meeting approved the bylaw change that would create that district. 

Planning Board Chair Arnold Johnson spoke in favor of the plan at the May 20 Town Meeting, pointing out that whether or not his board approves the final project, approving the district would result in a $350,000 payment to the town. He also pointed out that the land has been vacant for at least eight or nine years. 

Selectman Woody Hartley called the question “a very important issue financially for the town of Rochester.” He added that the Selectmen unanimously endorsed the project. 

One Rochester resident raised a concern that changing the zoning would take away from the limited amount of industrial land that the town has. 

Planning Board Chair Arnold Johnson explained that it would not, as the area had been re-zoned as general commercial a few years ago. 

Town Meeting voters also approved a plan to switch the source of their electricity by joining with 19 other communities on the South Coast to negotiate jointly for fixed energy rates. This “aggregation” strategy would keep Eversource as the distributor for electricity, and would allow residents to opt out of the program. 

One Rochester resident says she gets credits from Eversource for solar panels she has, and was concerned about the program impacting her rates. 

John O’Rourke, a representative for Good Energy, who handles the aggregation, said that because there would be two independent contracts at stake, the discounts she would receive would not be impacted.