Rob Levesque of R. Levesque Associates meets in 2018 with the Southwick Planning Board for a site plan review of The Greens. (THE WESTFIELD NEWS PHOTO)
SOUTHWICK – The Greens of Southwick’s east development, a residential subdivision off College Highway at the former Southwick Country Club, will not have public open spaces.
Town Planner Alan Slessler asked the Planning Board Sept. 22 whether they want to make the required open space available for public use. The Greens West, which is across the street, has public open space. Open space is a requirement of the project, however, public access is not required.
Slessler said the east development includes two entrances and a cul de sac.
“It seems a little unreasonable to have people parking on a cul de sac,” Slessler said. “There are no parking spaces and I think people in the subdivision would have a problem with people parking in front [of the homes] or trespassing on their property.”
Planning Board Chair Michael Doherty said it was his understanding that they could not force access to open space.
“It amounts to a taking of property, so it may be a moot issue,” Doherty said.
The Greens of Southwick’s east development will not include public access to open space. (HOPE E. TREMBLAY/THE WESTFIELD NEWS)
The Greens of Southwick is a subdivision developed by Fiore Realty Holdings. The west side includes plans for 25 single-family homes, with 49 homes on the east. Several model homes are available as well as custom-builds with a starting price of $389,900.
Richard Fiore purchased the 122-acre former golf course for $1.9 million. The town expects to receive $500,000 per year in property taxes from subdivision once complete. Construction at The Greens west began in 2019 and the east property is being prepared for construction now.
