A “Neighborhood with a Purpose” – to support adults with developmental disabilities – is a little closer to being reality, as plans have been announced that Osprey Village will be developed near Buckwalter Place.

Osprey Village Inc., a local nonprofit corporation, has signed a contract to purchase a 38-acre property along Bluffton Parkway for a planned community with apartments, homes and cottages for the multi-generational neighborhood.

The organization was established in 2008 to create resources for the empowerment of adults with developmental disabilities and their aging caregivers.

David Green, executive director of the organization, said he was part of the team that began discussing ideas for a community in 2007. “We looked at what had already been done, which was mostly campus-like apartments or group homes,” he said. “We wanted what is being called ‘intentional neighboring,’ which is designed to include and support the developmentally disabled.”

Parcel 10A on the site map is immediately adjacent to Buckwalter Place and Bluffton Parkway. Closing on the property purchase is expected to take place in early May 2016.

The parcel provides about 12 acres of buildable land surrounded by upland buffers and wetlands. In the initial construction phase beginning in 2016, the plan is to build six homes and cottages specifically designed for adults with developmental disabilities. Full-time residential services for up to 20 individuals with developmental disabilities will begin during 2017.

In addition, some 30 to 40 homes and apartments for other families, couples and individuals who want to participate in this “intentional neighboring” community model will be constructed through the neighborhood.

All residents will have a wide range of choices to engage in all aspects of daily community life. The development will feature a community center and swimming pool, along with walking and biking trails and nature paths.

Osprey Village will also provide life skill training, job coaching, recreation and social opportunities.

Green hopes Osprey Village will be the first of many similar neighborhoods around the country. He said, “It’s a new prototype in how to address the needs of these adults and their caregivers.”

“What has really been exciting is the amount of interest we’ve been getting from people in our area, across the state and country,” Green said. “It’s an idea whose time has come.”