Williamstown Planning Board revives Sweetwood rezoning talks, eyes August deadline

WILLIAMSTOWN -- July 11, 2023, Williamstown Planning Board revisits Sweetwood rezoning and explores cottage court housing models. Acting Chair Roger Lawrence presided in place of absent Chair Ken Kuttner at the July 11 session, where attorney Carla Chafee of Nixon Peabody presented on behalf of CARE One, the family-owned operator of Sweetwood of Williamstown at 611 Cold Spring Road, saying roughly half of the facility's 71 units sit vacant and that operating costs outpace revenue. Chafee outlined a path to allow non-assisted-living tenants, including visiting faculty, to occupy vacant units, saying the existing rooms "are ready to lease tomorrow," and the board asked her to submit any revised proposal by August 1 for the August 8 meeting. Member Ken Kuttner presented a cottage court housing overview, noting densities of 10 to 15 units per acre and no known Massachusetts precedent, while Lawrence detailed a site visit to Burt's Meadow in Florence, where six two-family affordable modular units sell for roughly $225,000 each without subsidy.