Housing Subdivision That Would Replace Faregrounds Restaurant Approved By Planning Board

The Planning Board on Monday unanimously approved a subdivision plan that would replace the Faregrounds Restaurant & Pudley's Pub on Fairgrounds Road with an eight-lot residential housing development.

The definitive subdivision plan - an earlier version of which had already been endorsed by the board - would create "Pudley's Court," a cul-de-sac development that would combine the Faregrounds Restaurant property at 27 Fairgrounds Road, owned by Bill and Kim Puder, with an undeveloped lot at 25 Fairgrounds Road owned by Suzanne Davis. The restaurant and bar that has been a local favorite for decades and the site of countless community events would be demolished.

The plan was submitted to the town on behalf of the property owners by Fairgrounds LLC, an entity that has an agreement in place to purchase the properties from the Puders and Davis. The company is registered to Brad Cartwright, of The Granite Street Realty Corp., who owns and operates several funeral homes in Braintree, Mass. Cartwright also owns a home on the island on Upper Tawpawshaw Road.

But the timeline for the project remains uncertain, as the sale of the properties to Cartwright has not yet been finalized.

"The Planning Board's unanimous approval is just the initial step, and the Puders will ultimately decide on the timeline, which is currently uncertain," the Puders' real estate broker, Graeden Ambrose, told the Current this week. "In the meantime, I would encourage visiting Faregrounds and Pudley's Pub to celebrate their presence."

The plan approved by the Planning Board shows seven buildable lots, each approximately 10,000 square feet, and an eighth lot just over 11,500 square feet, across 2.05 acres of land. The ninth lot would be a 20-foot-wide roadway with a cul-de-sac at the end to provide access to each lot.

While Planning Board members had previously reacted with dismay to the subdivision plan, Monday's vote recognized that it adhered to all legal requirements necessary for approval. Several members urged the contract buyer to consider affordability or deed restrictions that would benefit the year-round community, but acknowledged they could not require them.