Plymouth Starkweather Station Apartments Gain Preliminary Approval

Plymouth could soon see an increase in housing options.

The City Planning Commission gave unanimous approval to a preliminary plan to build 92 luxury apartments and two single family homes along Plymouth Road, east of North Holbrook Street.

DevMar Development, LLC has named the project Starkweather Station as a homage to Plymouth's earliest settlers, William and Keziah Starkweather.

Mark DeMaria, principal for DevMar Development, said they hope to break ground this spring. Once breaking ground, DeMaria said the project will take 12 months to complete. 

"Plymouth has all the suburban-urban amenities that people want to live in," DeMaria said. "It's a great town with a lot of activity going on. There's a lot of demand for living in Plymouth, but yet there's a lot of barriers to entry to live here because there really is no product. There are existing apartments and residential dwellings here in town, but a lot of them aren't up to the modern amenities and demeanor that a lot of the young professionals and people that actually frequent Plymouth would be happy living in."

The 5.76 acre site will consist of two four-story apartment buildings, two homes, an open green space on which many of the existing trees will be preserved, a walking path and a small park. 

The property is currently the home to a 25,000 square foot building that was the former regional offices for Columbian Mutual Insurance out of New York. DeMaria said the plan includes demolishing the building. 

Starkweather Station will be the first new multi-family project in Plymouth since about 2004, according to SEMCOG statistics.

The project will go back before the Planning Commission next month for a final approval and a recommendation to the City Commission. It must then receive approval from City Commissioners. 

"I think that this project will be the shot in the arm for Old Village, which has a lot of potential," DeMaria said. "Really, adding 92 units, and accounting for one to two people per unit - you're talking a lot of people in that area that will want to utilize Old Village."