The possibility exists that Haynes Development could turn its quarry on Route 67 into a housing development — but a company official says such a project simply isn’t on the company’s front burner.
The company’s excavation permit expired in December. The 30-acre property has been identified as one that could be included as an “incentive housing overlay zone,” a designation that could see a mix of commercial and residential use — and encourage some affordable housing there.
Kathy Ekstrom, a project executive with Haynes, said the company still has plans to redevelop the quarry as “Oxford Town Center,” which would feature a mix of residential and retail uses.
But the plan won’t materialize any time soon because the housing market is still weak, Ekstrom said.
“Right now we are sitting tight because the economy is such that we are just not positioned to do a development project at this point,” she said.
The property has been a quarry for at least a dozen years.
Ekstrom said the company isn’t looking to sell the property — but would entertain a good offer.
“We wouldn’t rule that out, selling it to someone else who wants to develop it, but that’s not our primary focus,” Ekstrom said. “Our intention is to develop it because we’ve seen it as a piece we’d like to develop ourselves. If it was a smart business decision to sell it, sure we would entertain it. That would be true for any properties we own. We’re not out there trying to sell it.”
The Haynes quarry, at 278 Oxford Road, is one of three sites that the town could designate with an “incentive housing” zone.
The other two sites for the zone are at the Tommy K’s Plaza at 144 Oxford Road and undeveloped land near the Seymour border next to the Oxford Liquor Shoppe at 19 Oxford Road.
All three sites are in the Route 67 corridor.
