RUTLAND — On a hill overlooking Rutland once stood the buildings of Rutland Heights.
Today, there is open ground, the buildings having been removed after the hospital closed, while the town sought to put the site to new use.
In the future, a new community will arise where the veterans hospital once stood.
Harmony Place broke ground April 3, with officials participating in a ceremonial gathering with Harbor Classic Homes, a Leominsterbased development company.
“This was decades in the making,” Laural Adams, Harbor Classic vice president, said, noting the “milestone we’re getting ready to celebrate” as the ceremonial shovels were readied.
“It takes a lot of people to work on a project like this,” State Sen. Ann Gobi said as officials gathered on the windy hill.
Noting how long ago the effort started, she said that her predecessor, Steve Brewer, helped with $10 million in state funds that helped raze the abandoned structures, but the work on the site was local.
“It starts somewhere, and it started with the people here,” Gobi said. With its over-55 focus, the development will help provide options.
“People want to be able to stay in their community,” Gobi said.
As the ceremony progressed, Gobi said groundbreakings were good, but she looked ahead.
“You know what’s better? The ribbon cutting.”
State Rep. Kim Ferguson recalled the process as well.
“Thinking back to hours of meetings and multiple visioning sessions,” Ferguson said she was “looking forward to seeing this develop over time.”
Sheriff Lew Evangelidis, who represented Rutland when he was state representative prior to Ferguson, said he remembered the work on the site back then, adding, “There are a few projects I will never forget.”
Michael Sullivan of the Rutland Development and Industrial Commission acknowledged some of the many people who were part of the effort over the years.
Referring to another benefit for the town, the bottom line, Sullivan noted “the $6 million in revenue this site will contribute to the town coffers.”
The plan includes 142 housing units with community features such as a clubhouse, walking trails, fitness stations, pickleball and bocce courts, and a community garden as well as a dog park and “pocket parks.”
Construction is slated to begin in Septembe.r with homes of 1,200 to 1,500 square feet starting at $399,000.
