MARSHFIELD DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD

Approved Minutes of July 6, 2006

Board Members present: Paul Brierre, Tom Daley, Martin Johnson, and Gary Wilson. Also attending: Planning Commission member Mike Fritz, Zoning Administrator Bob Light, Florence Mucherino, Dan Mucherino, David Spooner, Scott Prosser, Brad Washburn, Rep. Janet Ancel, Judith Aiken, Rich Aiken, Rebecca Arnell, Catherine Cerulli, Daniel Dolan, Ray Dukette, Ondis Eardensohn, Gregory Sanford, William Fitzpatrick, Paul Garstki, Donna Thomas, Joe Loga, Patty Morgan, Fred Wilber, Karen Murray, Sandra Pearson, Tom Pearson, Andrew Perchlik, Michael Raker, J. Dennis Robertson, Andy Russell, Erin Russell, Edward Siergiey, Ada Silverstein, Robert Silverstein, Bob Weinstein, Terri Weinstein, Melissa Whitaker-Rovetto, Susan Wilson, Duncan Wilkie, and Anne Winchester.

At 7:00 pm Martin made a motion, under the DRB’s rules of procedure, to have Tom preside over this evening’s hearings in the absence of acting Chairman James Arisman, who is off on vacation. All in favor. Tom clarified that the DRB requested that Planning Commission member Mike Fritz sit in as an alternate for both of the matters to be heard tonight.

Gary then informed the Board that, due to health problems in his family, he would soon be taking several months off from participating in DRB business. Martin said that the Selectboard has been notified of this, and they would consult with Planning Commission Chair Wayne Kowalski in choosing a substitute to sit in for Gary during his absence.

At 7:10 pm Gary moved to accept the minutes of June 15, 2006 as drafted. Seconded by Paul, all in favor.

At 7:15 pm the Board opened public hearing on the Subdivision application of Daniel and Florence Mucherino. The plan as presented would divide their home lot into 2 parcels. The piece containing their home and outbuildings would be 27.2 acres, accessed directly by Cree Farm Road. The remaining piece would be 48.7 acres, which the Mucherinos plan to leave undeveloped. This parcel would be accessed via right-of-way from Cree Farm Road over two adjoining parcels, currently owned by family members. After brief questioning the Board closed the hearing; a written decision will follow.

At 7:30 pm the Board opened public hearing on the Subdivision permit application of Gruss and Co. They wish to create 8 building lots from a tract of approximately 2,208 acres owned by Evergreen Timber, LLC. The building lots would all be along Laird pond road, each ranging from 5.9 to 50.9 acres, and totaling about 119 acres. The other 2,100 acres from the source parcel would be retained by the owners for forestry purposes. Scott Prosser represented the company in presenting the proposal, and Brad Washburn provided the technical details regarding the preparation of the survey work and septic designs.

            Zoning Administrator Bob Light observed that two of the proposed lots were designed to utilize a septic system to be installed on a third, and that this appeared to violate a provision of the Town’s Zoning Regulations that he reads as requiring residential lots which are not connected to the municipal sewage system to be able to handle sewage disposal onsite.

            The Board then took comments and questions from many adjoining landowners. A number of them stressed that Laird Pond Road only contains about a dozen homes now, and that the sudden introduction of 8 more would significantly impact the neighborhood for the worse. They observed that the road is narrow and winding, and the volume of the existing traffic already presents a danger for the local residents. Others mentioned that there was a high volume of water runoff along that road, and feared that the new homes being proposed would add to this problem.

            Some participants in the hearing stated their belief that aspects of this proposal were not in accord with provisions of Marshfield’s Town Plan. Several adjoining landowners presented the Board with a written list of concerns. After seeing that the Applicants were provided with a copy of this document, it was made a part of the record without objection.

            There was also concern from several participants that the logging operation to be continued on the undeveloped portion of the property would become a greater problem for residents beyond the immediate development area. This is because the landings which at present provide the easiest access to the forestry operation are located in the area proposed for building lots. This would require logging trucks to establish new access points along the more difficult Class 4 roads.

            Several neighbors expressed the sentiment that they wished the Applicants would communicate with them directly to hear their concerns, and to offer them the chance to possibly form a consortium with a view to purchasing this stretch of property in order to keep it undeveloped.

            Martin suggested that the Board arrange to make a site visit to view the area. Brad Washburn requested that he first be given a couple of weeks to clearly mark out some of the  boundaries and other features of their plan on the ground. The Board accordingly set a Site Visit for Saturday, July 22, 2006 at 9:00 am. Tom then announced that the Board would adjourn the Preliminary Plan hearing until after the site visit. The hearing will reopen on Wednesday, July 26 at 7:00 pm.

At 9:40 pm Martin moved to adjourn the DRB meeting. Seconded by Gary, all in favor.

                                                                                                Respectfully submitted,

                                                                                                Tom Daley