Wareham receives $32,500 grant to seek input on failed subdivision

Nov 9, 2018

Officials are set to explore new uses for a failed subdivision in Swifts Beach after receiving a state grant.

The Town of Wareham received a $32,500 land use planning grant on Nov. 2, which will be used to study a 12-acre site on Littleton Drive. The funds were awarded by the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs as part of its planning assistance grant program.

Director of Planning and Community Development Ken Buckland explained the land was approved as a 47-lot subdivision in 1971. However, the property was foreclosed on in 1979 and transferred to the town in 1981.

In a 2016 memo to Town Administrator Derek Sullivan, Buckland outlined the property, its history and some potential future steps for development. Some possibilities listed included recreation and open space or housing “that meets a public purpose.”

Buckland said the site also has the potential for building 35 to 40 units of housing. With the grant, the town will seek input on how to best use the property.

“This is a great opportunity to change a failed subdivision that was dropped on the town in 1981 to be put to productive use, instead of a site for illegal dumping and motorbiking,” said Buckland. “With this grant we can now have some outside professional advice on disposition of the property.”