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Date: 12/12/2023
EASTHAMPTON — Another residential development plan has come before the Planning Board for review. The Pineview Development, proposed by Joseph Kelley at 282 Loudville Rd., a 12.22-acre parcel, includes up to 15 residential units and an associated roadway. The new roadway will include a new cul-de-sac. The construction will also include sidewalks, water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure.
Planning Board Vice Chair James Zarvis explained that he would be chairing the board for the hearing in place of Chair Jesse Belcher-Timme, who recused himself from the hearing due to a conflict of interest with some of the abutters involved in the project. Stepping into take Belcher-Timme’s vote for the project was alternate member Ken Iaveccia.
Kelley said that he has been working with property owners, Stewart and Emily Nichols for over a year.
“It was really important to them to find the developer that would take the care that they want with their property, develop it the right way, where it wouldn’t be intrusive with the neighborhood and had a great track record,” he said.
John Furman, principal engineer and office manager with Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Springfield, the engineering firm for the project, detailed some of the work the firm has done so far.
“For this project the services that we performed included an existing conditions survey, property line survey, it included civil design, stormwater management design, it included resource area delineation, traffic impact assessment and where we are right now, which is permitting,” he said.
Prior to coming before the Planning Board, Furman said that the developers had spoken with department heads and other city departments.
“They had a few concerns which were minor, and we’ve addressed those in the plan that you see here. But in general, there were no red flags that said this is an all stop. They were generally in agreement that what we were proposing was allowed and fit within the town’s infrastructure,” he said.
Furman explained that for fuel for the project, the plan was to use propane for each housing unit because there is no fuel available to Loudville Road. He added that 10 of the units would be two-bedroom units, while four would be three-bedroom units.
Furman said that they were looking for two permits for the project, a special permit and a stormwater permit, both of which come from the Planning Board.
Jeff Belardo, one of the engineers on the project explained that the roadway and cul-de-sac are anticipated to be 888 feet in length.
“What we have in connection to Loudville Road is water, sanitary sewer, electric and communications. Electric and communications is based off an existing utility pole, right in front of our frontage and it basically feeds the site with services to each unit,” he said.
Belardo explained that the electric services would all be underground, and there are two fire hydrants on the proposal for the new roadway. Each unit is also proposed to have an above ground propane tank for fuel.
Furman also detailed the traffic study VHB conducted, which concluded that once complete, the project will result in 17 more trips per day on average, up from 1 per day with the one house on the property.
Kelley said that once approved, construction of the site would take about a year and a half.
“Our goal would be to break ground in the spring, assuming the approval goes smoothly this winter. We’re probably looking at heavy construction for one to three months to get the road in, get all the utilities in, set up the basins and be able to put some foundations in,” he said. “The last project was about a year and a half from start to finish once we broke ground, so about a two-year project overall.”
In terms of construction times, Kelley said it would primarily take place between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., while following the city’s ordinances regarding timing.
In the public comment section of the hearing, many people were concerned with the project, specifically with the trucks that will be going through when the project is under construction, as well as concerns over water pressure to the units.
Speaking specifically about one letter the board received about the project, Zarvis suggested that the development meet with community members concerned about the project and responding with written comments to the concerns raised in this letter as well as one raised by the conservation agent.
“The issue here is that it’s not just about the developer, or those who are living in Easthampton and the neighbors whose lives will be impacted, but also those who will be living in the condominiums later on, who may well feel as the neighbors do. By creating this harmony and working together, I think we have a path forward,” he said.
The developer agreed to move forward with scheduling a time to meet with the neighbors about their concerns.
The public hearing was continued to the board’s Dec. 19 meeting.