SOUTHWICK — Nearly three years after being approved by the town’s Planning Board, ground will soon be broken on the proposed 100-unit condominium project at 42 Depot St.
“We’re starting to demo the structures and remove the trees needed to have a building pad ready to start construction before the summer,” said Dipal Pandya, the president of Aum Builders, Inc., which is based in Monroe, New Jersey, that is developing the project.
Select Board Chair Jason Perron said he’s excited the project is finally starting.
“This is something that people have been looking for,” Perron said about the need for additional housing in town.
“This fits in with the Master Plan — bringing more people to town,” Perron said.
The project, which Pandya said has yet to be named and he’s taking suggestions, will offer a mix of one- and two-garage units on the 22-acre property.
The units with one garage will have 1,700 square-feet of living space, with the two-car garage units featuring 2,300 square feet, he said.
Unlike other condominium projects which often use a one-façade design, Pandya said each building “will be different.”
“It won’t look boring,” Pandya said.
That appealed to Perron.
“A little character is nice,” he said.
Perron also said the project will be a benefit to the town’s sewer system, which continues to rely on a subsidy to remain solvent each year.
Pandya also touted that the development’s location is secluded and private.
And as an added feature, the property abuts the Southwick Rail Trail.
He’s hoping to appeal to homeowners in town and in Connecticut who are looking to downsize.
There will also be a combination of units offered as long-term rentals or for purchase, Pandya said.
The project was originally proposed by Granby-based Right Hand Clyde Real Estate, LLC.
Earlier this year, Aum Builders, Inc. purchased the property through a limited liability corporation.
In December 2021, the Planning Board approved the site plan and granted the permits needed for the project, including a special permit, an earth excavation permit, a wellhead protection district special permit, and a stormwater management permit, clearing the last major regulatory hurdles for the project to begin.
The order of conditions by the Conservation Commission for the project was also approved in December 2021. During the commission’s meeting on Nov. 18, Pandya requested the order of conditions be extended for three years. The commission approved his request.
Those approvals and permits were passed to the new property owner, which had to adhere to the permits’ deadline. They would have expired in mid-December.
Town Planner Jon Goddard announced during the Planning Board’s last meeting that Pandya had visited Town Hall and spoken with him and, Kyle Scott, town’s building inspector and zoning enforcement officer, about the project.
“It looks like it will be getting off the ground in a few weeks,” Goddard said
The development will be built in phases and will take several years to complete.
Pandya estimated that Phase I of the project is expected to be completed by next fall.
The development will have multiple small streets leading to an access point on Depot Street near the intersection of Powder Mill Road and South Longyard Road.
