Developer announces plan for 97 unit apartment building for Columbines

Local Developer, Specious Development, Inc., recently announced plans for a 97 Unit apartment complex at 160 Columbine Road under the state’s Chapter 40B affordable housing law.

The three quarter of an acre site will see a building of seven stories with retail on the first floor and apartments above. 25% of the apartments are planned as affordable. Retail offerings are anticipated to include off-track betting, a tattoo parlor, discount cigarettes and a marijuana dispensary. Eight parking spaces will be provided.

The developer calls the project “Specious Gardens” and stated that it was excited to begin construction. Town planning officials called the Specious Gardens project a “win-win” and looked forward to helping the developer force the project on the neighborhood.

“We believe that we are enhancing [the Columbines] with a Soviet-style apartment building.” – Herman Smithman

Local residents, however, felt the project was out of character of the site. Specious Development, Inc. spokesman, Herman Smithman, responded by saying that “…Specious does not know what people mean with respect to the supposed ‘character’ of the Columbine area. It has changed over the centuries from farms to high-end homes and we believe that we are enhancing that change with a Soviet-style apartment building.”

When parking concerns were expressed by neighbors, Smithman stated “…this is Soviet-style building that is within a mile of a bus that goes to Middleboro; no one will have cars.” Similarly, he stated that the neighbors’ traffic concerns would be addressed by hiring a traffic expert that would say whatever Specious wanted.

The groundbreaking for Specious Gardens is expected to occur this October.