Planning Board Meeting
Planning Board reviewed a pre-application for a clustered subdivision on the Meadowbrook Road parcel (concept yield ~47 lots; ~82% open space) and discussed sewer/water connections, road length and open-space ownership. The board approved a minor modification for 80 Havel Road (increase rear-building units from 4 to 7), authorized a Stantec peer review for 29 Lake Attitash Road, and asked staff to prepare a draft decision for 19 Prospect Street (historic preservation permit).
The board heard a long pre-application presentation for a large Meadowbrook Road property (approx. 150 acres) proposing a clustered subdivision yielding about 47 lots with roughly 82% of the site preserved as open space. Presenters described a proposed 2,500-foot new road segment connecting at the end of Meadowbrook Road, municipal water and sewer connections (including a cross-country sewer easement to Birch Meadow Road), and a design that keeps residential development in the previously disturbed western portion of the property. Board members and staff raised questions about road length, cul-de-sac constraints, potential waivers (right-of-way, road width, sidewalks, secondary access), wetland buffers and water-resource protection requirements; several members emphasized the goal of securing the large open-space parcel for public protection and discussed options to reduce road length and lot configuration (common driveways, duplex/multi-family units). Members of the Lake Attitash Association and nearby residents spoke in support of preserving open space and welcomed the sewer/water approach and the applicant’s focus on limiting disturbance near the pond.
The board also covered multiple active applications and administrative items. The Planning Board voted that a requested modification for 80 Havel Road (reconfiguring the approved rear structure from four units to seven units without footprint changes, plus small exterior fenestration/dormer adjustments) qualifies as a minor modification and approved it (vote 5–1; one no vote expressed parking/precedent concerns). The board authorized staff to hire Stantec for peer review of the 29 Lake Attitash Road special-permit application, asked staff to draft a decision for 19 Prospect Street’s site plan and historic-preservation special permit for the April 13 meeting, and endorsed subdivision plans for 1–2 Kimball Road while referring the submitted covenant to City legal counsel. Administrative approvals included acceptance/endorsement of covenant and erosion-control paperwork for 201 Elm Street, acceptance of the $611 erosion-control bond for 26 Friend Street, acceptance of covenant/erosion-control for 3840 Prospect Street, and partial release ($60,000 of $75,000) of the Amesbury Heights performance bond (36 Haverhill Road). Board members asked staff to circulate the Planning Department’s prior review comments for the 40B Kimball Road application and invited member feedback to be compiled and forwarded to the ZBA for its upcoming review.
Points of interest
