By Beth David, Editor
Neighbors who live on Peirce’s Point Road made up some signs and stood out on Route 6 in front of the G. Bourne Knowles property to protest the 40B development with 224 rental units proposed for the site. Lots of drivers blew their horns in support on Saturday morning, 4/25/26, as they sped by on Route 6.
Deborah Gabriel said the neighbors were taken by surprise after the proposal was discussed at the Select Board meeting on 4/13/26 (see FNN 4/16/26 issue). She said they were out there with signs to let people know what is going on.
“Most people don’t know about it,” she said.
Frank Ferreira said he is seriously contemplating selling his house because it will be so close to the development.
“I planned to live here the rest of my life,” said Mr. Ferreira, adding the value of his house will go down considerably if the rentals are built. “No one wants to live next to those.”
Other neighbors said the tranquility of their seaside retreat will be ruined.
Lynn Sweet, the 40B consultant on the project, said that the actual buildings will not be near the houses that are not near Route 6.
The plans, however, do not show exactly where the buildings will go. The architectural rendition shown to the Select Board, which is available in the 4/13/26 SB packet online, is just to show the concept. The company will have to show exactly where the buildings will go before the next step. There are some wetlands in the back of the property, so it is likely all the buildings will be close to Route 6.
Neighbors protest against a 40B development with 224 rental units proposed at the G Bourne Knowles property on Route 6 in Fairhaven on 4/25/26. Photo by Beth David.
There is also some question as to who owns what part of Peirce’s Point Road. The town plows to the bike path, so it seems that the town owns that far. The neighbors believe GBK owns from the bike path to the bridge, and one of the neighbors owns from the bridge to the point.
Ms. Sweet said that will have to be verified before any plans are created.
The neighbors have contacted the town, they said, and are supposed to meet with town officials to discuss the plans and how it will affect their neighborhood.
Ms. Sweet said the project is a “friendly” 40B, so they are very open to speaking with neighbors to hear what their concerns are.
“They should be asking questions,” she said. “If I were a neighbor I would have questions.”
She added that it is still very early in the process, so now is a good time for neighbors to weigh in.
The next steps are for the developer to flush out the plans a little more and send a project eligibility application to the state, with the support of the Select Board. If the project gets the eligibility letter, it then goes to the Zoning Board of Appeals, which will hold a public hearing. The ZBA issues a “comprehensive permit” which will include a variety of conditions for the project to be built. Because there are wetlands on the property, the project will also most likely have to go to the Conservation Commission, too. Then it goes back to the state for approval.
The town needs 222 affordable units to meet the 10% threshold required to stop 40B developments. Twenty-five percent of the proposed units will be designated affordable in perpetuity, making the entire complex count towards the town’s 10%.
Fairhaven has several other developments with affordable units. All of them, except for Fairhaven Village, are affordable in perpetuity. The 169 units at FV will expire in 2039, when they can be rented at market rate.
Ms. Sweet’s contact information is in the online presentation. She can be reached at ldsweet@ldsconsultinggroup.com
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Click here to download the 4/30/26 issue: 04-30-26 WI 5K
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