R
edevelopment of the Yankee Candle founder's sprawling Western Massachusetts estate is gaining momentum as developers forge ahead on a plan to build hundreds of homes for people 55 and over. Dubbed "Pioneer Pointe," the $200 million project proposes an active lifestyle community centered around the luxurious amenities at Michael J. Kittredge II's Juggler Meadow compound.
According to development manager Joshua Wallack, the resort-like perks – including an indoor water park, movie theater, spa, bowling alley, arcade, and concert venue – make it a perfect fit for active older adults. "You can focus your budget on maximizing the housing quality," he said, noting that developers often struggle with high costs associated with building such amenities.
The 16-bedroom, 120,000-square-foot mansion was originally listed for $23 million in 2022. Wallack visited the estate after meeting Kittredge's son and suggested a lifestyle community built around the estate's main mansion and plentiful amenities. "That makes more sense than trying to find one person to take over this property, which is like owning Disneyland pretty much," he said.
The development team plans to submit an application to MassHousing, a quasi-public agency that provides financing for affordable housing. A quarter of the units at Pioneer Pointe will be affordable under Chapter 40B, with households earning around $84,000 per year paying approximately $1,875 per month for an affordable unit.
The project has undergone revisions in response to community concerns about increased traffic. An early iteration featured 700 total units for all ages, but the team cut back and focused on adults 55 and older after hearing feedback from residents. Wallack said the revised plans call for 400 units, with two options: building 48 units on the Leverett side and 352 on the Amherst side, or 150 units in Leverett and 250 in Amherst.
"We're probably going to end up decreasing the amount of units again, because we want a project to start rolling," Wallack said. "We're not interested in talking and talking and never doing anything with this. We're interested in creating housing, and affordable housing."
