The Nov. 10 deadline for bids on construction of the Westfield senior citizen housing project passed without a single developer submitting a proposal.

Dismayed with that response, the Board of Selectmen Tuesday scheduled a workshop to discuss how the project might be made more attractive to developers.

The workshop will be held December 3 from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Multi-service Center. The workshop, which is open to the public, will include members of the Westfield RFP committee and developers.

"The ball's in nobody's court right now," Selectman Steve Holmes noted.

The Westfield project, which will provide affordable senior housing on the 77-acre Westfield property, was overwhelming approved by Town Meeting in October 2010. The project was previously proposed at the Fall 2009 and Spring 2010 Town Meetings, but was both times sent back for further study.

The differences between the proposal that passed in fall of 2010 and the ones sent back included stipulations that all units be affordable and restricted to seniors, that any developer hired to complete the project be required to maintain the athletic fields on the property, and that not more than one-third of the property be used housing.

The Board of Selectmen then appointed volunteers to the Westfield RFP Committee in February of this year to make suggestions to the Selectmen for a request for proposal, or RFP, for the construction of the housing project. After several delays, the project was put out to bid in August. However, because there was little interest from developers, Town Administrator Mark Andrews recommended the board extend the deadline for proposals to November 10.

Selectman Michael Schneider theorized that the changes made by the Westfield RFP committee in April—which included increasing the number of units from 150 to 200 units to a minimum of 175 units and no more than 280, repairing two existing baseball fields, and constructing soccer and football fields—might be to blame for the lack of interest.

The Selectmen also voted Tuesday to extend the Westfield committee's term until March 31 so it can continue its work.