Sudbury Officials Eye Affordable Housing at Melone Gravel Pit

Sudbury officials are hoping residents will vote this year to fund a master plan that would allow them to begin planning for development of affordable housing at the Melone gravel pit property located on Route 117.

Residents will be asked at Annual Town Meeting to approve an amount no higher than $150,000 that would fund the master plan, the first step in a process that could allow Sudbury to add rental housing that would count towards the town's 10% affordable housing goal.

If the timeline were to hold steady as planned, a developer would be chosen in 2015, permitting would be completed in 2016 and construction would be underway in 2016 at the North Road property.

According to the town website, the Melone property is 46 acres, 16 of which are located in Concord. The town purchased the property in 1992, but the Department of Public Works said that nearly all of the gravel has been removed from the land.

"The Selectmen have been interested in planning for the future of this parcel for several years," according to the town website. "This is the largest remaining, buildable town-owned property and it has considerable development potential. The land offers capacity to construct new playing fields, potential trail connections to both Sudbury and Concord conservation lands, and has suitable soils for residential housing."