GSX Ventures proposes ‘Village at Grafton Woods’ for North Grafton
Right now, 8 Pine St. is an overgrown property with the crumbling remains of buildings that once housed patients at the Grafton State Hospital.
By Jan. 1, 2023, GSX Ventures hopes to transform the 8-acre parcel into The Village at Grafton Woods, a complex featuring 306 residential units — 77 of them affordable — and 11,340 square feet of retail space, plus additional parking for the MBTA Commuter Rail station right across the street.
The Select Board awarded the property to GSX for $1,725,000 Tuesday night after a six-month search for just the right plan for a “transit village.” Out of the four finalists, GSX was the only one that did not request tax credits or other public financing incentives.
GSX Ventures, based out of Fort Lauderdale, specializes in luxury student housing, assisted and independent living communities for seniors, and mixed-use communities. It is in the process of building a senior facility in Hudson.
“We want to work with the community to see who North Grafton wants to see for retail,” said Casey Killiam, a spokesman for the project. “We don’t just want to bring national chains in.”
Back in August, the town entered a sales partnership with the state, which was selling off small parcels of land for development. With a key location beside the commuter rail station, down the street from Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, and just off Rte. 30, it was a perfect location to develop apartment housing with a retail component.
The proposed apartment complex features a five story parking deck that will allow residents direct access to the buildings. It will also feature a fitness center, a dog park and walking trails, a playground and a pool area. Separate retail space will face the street and have rooftop gardens — perfect for a restaurant or two that wants to offer outdoor seating for social distancing.
“This is going to be a multi-generational property. There is something for everybody,” said Jon Grant, GSX president.
“There is a mass of people who come through North Grafton to the MBTA station — they want their coffee in the morning, there are tenants that can address their needs,” Killiam added.
While the Select Board did raise the issue of traffic, given the crowded streets during the morning and evening commutes from the train station, Grant suggested the complex may actually reduce traffic by attracting commuters to the apartments.
GSX will also work with the Grafton Job Corps to improve their road access.
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“While the Select Board did raise the issue of traffic, given the crowded streets during the morning and evening commutes from the train station, Grant suggested the complex may actually reduce traffic by attracting commuters to the apartments.”
Why add Mbta parking if there would be fewer commuters? This will add to traffic congestion. A better design to the existing mbta lot would go along way. It takes a long time to get out of that parking lot in the evening. Perhaps a signal for the evening….something.
We should look to institute an impact fee on large developments to offset expected new town needs. The developers walk about with millions in their pockets, while the average tax payer has to pay for increased police, fire, medical, schools, etc… Time for change.