By Carol Britton Meyer

A 12-unit condominium complex with three units designated as affordable has been proposed for a three-quarter-acre parcel of land behind the former Veterans of Foreign Wars post in the Rockaway Annex neighborhood.

Vineyard Point Ventures Inc. development consultant Dean Harrison indicated in a Dec. 26 letter to the select board that an application has been filed with the state to build 12 townhomes on the vacant lot at 25 Ipswich St. The developer is seeking approval through the comprehensive permit process under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40B, which allows developers to circumvent a number of local zoning regulations in exchange for an affordable housing component.

Ipswich Street is partially built street that runs up the hill along the former VFW’s driveway. The land to be developed includes an unpaved area that was previously used as the post’s parking lot. The select board talked briefly about the proposal at last week’s meeting. Harrison, of Attleboro, was not present.

“This project is in the very early stages,” Town Manager Jennifer Constable said. “We’ve had a site visit with full staff and MassHousing.”

If the agency approves the application, a project eligibility letter would be issued and the applicant would then advance to the comprehensive permit process, Constable explained.

The proposal, to be called “The Residences at Rockaway,” includes 12 townhouses, of which three would be affordable and available to qualified buyers by lottery. The remainder would be market price. A total of eight four-story buildings are planned, with nine four-bedroom units and three units with three bedrooms.

“The development will be consistent with the affordable needs of the town,” Harrison wrote in the letter. “It is our intention to provide a presentation of our plans at future meetings with the Town of Hull.”

Harrison provided a copy of the site plan application that was submitted to MassHousing with the letter. The property, located near the Hingham-Hull town line, consists of about .63 acres. The lot last sold on August 30, 2022 for $310,000.

According to the application, the site, or a portion of it, is located within a designated flood hazard area and includes a significant amount of ledge/steep slopes.

“Just so we are aware, this is a very small area in between all those homes,” Chair Greg Grey noted.

Board member Irwin Nesoff, who lives on North Truro Street, expressed concern that there are a number of homes in the surrounding area and “a lot of ledge” in the neighborhood.

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