SHREWSBURY – A housing project that worked with the town and received over $200,000 in fee waivers returned to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) on May 27 to ask that 6 percent more units be added to the project.
In January 2026, the ZBA approved plans for The Residences at Friar’s Farm on an 18-unit parcel located at 409 South Street, on the corner of Route 20. Original plans called for 196 rental units, a clubhouse, a courtyard, a pool, and a dog park. The project is a 40B proposal – meaning that it was allowed to bypass certain zoning restrictions – but the developer worked with neighbors and signed a Local Initiative Program (LIP) with the town in an effort to make the process mutually beneficial. The developer will extend sidewalks, fix Chestnut Street and its sightline issues, relocate electrical lines, establish a school bus stop, create an easement for a mixed-use trail, and implement improvements to the Route 20 and South Street intersection.
In May, the developer – Criterion Development Partners – came back before the ZBA hoping to amend plans and go from a 196-unit project to a 208-unit project, reducing the building count from eight to five. Heights of the buildings would increase by 10 feet, and 42 more parking spaces would be added. Criterion hopes to start construction this fall, and characterized the modifications as needed due to a “challenging” economic environment…