Global Awards News

LONDON: In the same week in which an established church went broke in residential aged care, another church is set to take a leap of faith.

The Congregational Church of Topsfield is delighted to announce it is working with The Caleb Group to bring affordable senior housing to downtown Topsfield. The church has been considering the best use of the Emerson Fields since late 2017 and has undergone a thoughtful process over the past three and a half years.

The Congregational Church is now facing several upcoming and significant maintenance costs. These include work on the steeple of the Meeting House (church) and also at the Emerson Center. As many in our community know, the Emerson Center is host to many organizations that contribute to our town, including Joyful Noises Childcare Center and the Boy Scouts.

The development in downtown Topsfield will be smaller than Little Brook Village on Washington Street. Approximately 30-35 units are expected. The advantages of this use for the fields to the church and to the town of Topsfield are many including:

• The proceeds from the sale of the fields will allow the church to set up a restricted fund where the income will be used for general expenses including maintenance.
• The new housing will add to the density of downtown Topsfield, an oft-stated goal of the Downtown Revitalization Committee and several Topsfield leaders. New residents in the downtown will help the remaining, and hopefully grow the number of, businesses and eateries in downtown to help keep them financially stable and ensure they remain open and available for all residents of our town.
• The new housing will be for seniors only, so there will be no added “burden” to the school system or budget.
• he new housing will add much-needed tax revenue to the town which will help defray any future tax increases or incremental expenses.
• The new housing will help Topsfield move closer to the state-mandated goal for affordable housing.
• More than 50% of the property is wetlands and will remain undeveloped and undisturbed. In particular, the land closest to the abutters on Towne Lane and Deer Run will remain untouched and may be offered to the town of Topsfield or a suitable land trust, at no cost.

The Caleb Group (thecalebgroup.org) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization which is committed to being good stewards of the environment and can incorporate renewable energy, latest efficiencies, and greener practices where practical. The Caleb Group has built many similar facilities throughout New England. We could not have asked for a better partner.

The church had previously considered a community care facility on its property which would have served even more people and included up to 90 rooms. However, a 2019 change in zoning bylaws prohibits community care facilities in the downtown location. Affordable senior housing, with less density, is a good compromise and one that meets the needs of many empty nesters who would like to remain living in our town.

The church was also recently contacted by developers who proposed building large single-family homes on the Emerson Field property. However, Topsfield has wetlands bylaws that are much more restrictive than state-wide requirements, thus significantly restricting a residential development. In addition, single-family homes would not align with the church’s mission to provide affordable housing.

The Congregational Church of Topsfield looks forward to working with The Caleb Group and the Town of Topsfield to bring much-needed affordable senior housing to downtown Topsfield.