Builder holds up project to allow city to pursue funding for property abutting Hoppers-Birge Pond Preserve

View from ridge on the Hoppers-Birge Pond Preserve. | R. Carter

Posted By: David Fortier October 5, 2024

By David Fortier

An open space development off Perkins Street has been put on hold to allow the city to pursue funding to purchase the entire 10-plus acres of private property to add to the Hopper-Birge Pond Preserve, said one of builders behind the development.

The president of the group protesting the develop said she was optimistic about the city’s prospects but also realistic since the deal hinges on an appraisal of the property, which might limit what the city might be allowed to offer.

“P & B Properties have extended an invitation to the mayor to be placed on the city council agenda, for discussion purposes of the city of Bristol acquiring the Schaffrick property,” Tim Bobroske said in a phone conversation Friday after meeting with Mayor Jeffrey Caggiano.

A deal would rest on whether the city were able to obtain grants, he said.

“There is no time associated with our agreement. We, at any time, can restart, going forward with our applications for inlands/wetlands and zoning but then we would have to terminate this agreement.”

P & B Properties proposal is to build 16 carbon-free houses, what would be a first in Bristol, at the rear of the property, formerly owned by the Schaffrick family and purchased earlier this year by Bobroske and his partner, Jim Pryor.

The proposal would involve a sand and gravel operation on what is a core forest and holds geological rarities, including a large kettle left by and an eskar deposited during the Ice Age, over 10,000 years ago.

The project has drawn the attention of a local group dedicated to protecting the Hoppers-Birge Pond Preserve, which includes the former Roberts Property and a city-owned dog park, but not the 10-plus acres where the 16-unit housing development is being proposed.

“We are cautiously optimistic,” said Michelle Rudy, president of the Friends of the Hoppers-Birge Pond Preserve. “The appraisal may come in low depending on whether they think the land is developable or not. If the appraisal comes in low, they might not want to sell.”

Rudy said the outfit conducting the appraisal may or may not consider profits from a sand and gravel operation, for instance. On the other hand, an appraiser might determine that the property would be not suitable for the proposed development, since it might not meet the approval of land-use boards.

“It just depends on the appraiser, how they are looking at it, they might say this land would never go through a board of zoning appeals and then therefore we are not going to count the sand and the gravel in the appraisal. It could go either way.”

In addition, Rudy said a municipality or nonprofit organization cannot pay more than 125 percent of the appraised value for a property, whereas a private buyer has no limit.

The Friends have written a letter of support for the city as part of the grant application process. They are also circulating a petition to show community support.

“We’ve gotten 125 signatures so far,” she said. “And we are hoping to get more.”

Now that P & B Properties has provided a letter of intent, Bobroske said the mayor will be bringing the offer to the city council at its next meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8, where it will be discussed in an executive session.

“No price has been set, all our options are on the table,” Bobroske said. “I would just like to make perfectly clear that we are not going to lose money for us to sell it to the city of Bristol.”

He said the company has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to date in engineering, environmental studies and reports, structural engineering and bridge design. There are 15 different professionals on the P & B Properties team.

“We are not going to lose money,” Bobroske said.

For the grant process to begin, P & B Properties, according to Bobroske, has withdrawn applications from inlands/wetlands, planning and zoning.

“There is not going to be any activity on our part,” he said. “We do have the right to resubmit, but then, naturally, negotiations would cease.”

He did not provide a figure for the company’s investments in this project because, he said, that would be part of the negotiations.

TBE reached out to the mayor via email for a comment, but the mayor failed to respond before the article was posted.

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