Design change favors turtles

A rare species of turtle protected as endangered has prompted a developer to request a zoning change to allow him to substitute 42 townhouse units for some of the single-family homes he had wanted to build as part of an 18-hole golf course project in Methuen.

In addition to reconfiguring the residential units on less acreage, the North Andover developer has agreed to construct a "turtle highway," essentially an underground tunnel, so that the main roadway into the development doesn't interrupt the natural migratory patterns of this and other turtle species on the property, according to a city official.

Robert Nazarian initially applied to build 63 single-family homes as part of his $50 million Emerald Pines Country Club and Estates project on Howe Street on the city's northeast side.

Now that Nazarian must locate the development around the protected turtle habitat, he is proposing 33 single-family homes and 42 townhouse units, said Curt T. Bellavance, Methuen's community development director.

"We've given up 27 acres of uplands to the species to make sure that we don't impact their breeding ground unnecessarily," said Vincent Manzi, Nazarian's attorney. "This is a beautiful parcel and we are making the design changes which in the end will enhance the development."

The project is proposed for 225 acres of vacant land that are home to the rare wood turtle, according to a study conducted by the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife's National Heritage & Endangered Species Program.

The land is also an important habitat for the Blanding's turtle, the spotted turtle, and the blue-spotted salamander, which are considered "species of special concern" by the state environmental agency, according to Bellavance.

Bellavance said a grating system in the roadway would light the turtle tunnel by allowing sunlight to shine through a series of skylights in the top of the tunnel.

The Methuen City Council granted Nazarian's R & D Development Co. a special permit last May to construct a golf course in a residential zone, Bellavance said.

However, Nazarian discovered the issue with the wildlife when the project went before the city's Conservation Commission for an environmental review, Bellavance said.

The proposed change will require another review by the City Council, said Stephen DeFeo Jr., chairman of Methuen's Community Development Board.

DeFeo said his board welcomed the project initially because the inclusion of a golf course reduced by half the number of single-family homes the land would ordinarily have supported legally under the city's zoning ordinance.

"Since single-family homes put a burden on the tax base with the projected cost of schooling children, the golf course with its commercial component made this mix-use project attractive," he said. "In addition to the clubhouse, there will be a function facility, which that end of Methuen currently doesn't have."

Nazarian has offered to open the golf course initially to the public but has indicated in his permitting application that he anticipates converting it to a members-only club eventually, perhaps within five years, DeFeo said.

Bellavance said Nazarian has already begun clearing the land for the first phase of construction.

"He can go ahead and start the single-family houses because those are permitted under the zoning he now has," Bellavance said.

According to Manzi, the developer expects to complete eight houses this spring, which will be marketed in the $750,000 to $800,000 range. He said construction on the golf course will start in September with nine holes slated to open next year.

Caroline Louise Cole can be reached at cole@globe.com.