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Date: 8/18/2021
SOUTHWICK – Residents at the Aug. 10 Planning Board meeting expressed some concerns about the proposed 100-unit residential development at 42 Depot St.
The proposed development was originally supposed to be 132 units, but Jessica Allan of R. Levesque Associates said that the geography of the parcel only allowed for 100. She said only five of the units will have three bedrooms, while the rest will have two bedrooms or one bedroom. All of them will be two stories tall.
During public comment, one resident, who said he lives near the area that will be developed, asked about how much tree removal will be necessary for the project. Allan said some trees will be removed, but a treeline will still remain between abutting properties.
Allan said each unit would have a garage as well as a driveway.
She said that she would try to have an engineer take an aerial photo of the property. Doherty said he would like to investigate the traffic impact the development could have. Depot Street is centrally located in Southwick, near the police and fire stations, and this parcel is close to the intersection with Powder Mill and South Longyard roads.
Allan noted all of the units will be owned, not rented.
There will be five stormwater basins interspersed throughout the 22-acre property, but Allan said that there are some stormwater infrastructure issues that need to be resolved first, and the plan will likely be revised. Allan said that the property is directly next to the rail trail, but that the trail would be slightly lower than the property, and the view would not be significantly affected.
The buildings would be grouped together in groups of several units each, with a single access point from Depot Street that splits into smaller streets on the property itself.
The property is near a wetlands area, but it will have an undeveloped buffer between developed property and the wetlands.
The development will also be contingent on lifting the town’s moratorium on new large water connections, which the Water Commission voted to continue earlier this month. The Water Commission will revisit the moratorium when approved pumping station upgrades are complete. Allan said that if the water infrastructure upgrades are not ready in time, the development will be completed in phases.
Because of the late hour of the hearing and the revisions to the site plan that will be needed, the public hearing was continued to Sept. 7.
Before the hearing began, Planning Board member Marcus Phelps announced that he would abstain from the discussion and vote because his home abuts the proposed development. Planning Board Chair Michael Doherty said he filed a conflict of interest disclosure with the town clerk because his aunt and uncle currently own the 42 Depot St. property. He said he was told that they have an agreement to sell the property to the developer if the permits are approved.
Doherty said he has no relationship with the developer, Right Hand Clyde Real Estate LLC.
“Taking this disclosure into account and all the situation here, I feel that I can perform my official duties objectively and fairly. I am not an interested party, I have no financial interest in the property, and there is no inherent conflict based on the relationship,” said Doherty.
Doherty said that he would remain a voting member for the 42 Depot St. hearing and vote.