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Date: 12/26/2023
EASTHAMPTON — After the project was initially brought before the board at its Nov. 28 meeting, the Easthampton Planning Board continued a public hearing over the Pineview Development.
The 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 would include a new cul-de-sac. The construction would also include sidewalks, water, sewer and stormwater infrastructure.
To begin the hearing, John Furman, principal engineer and office manager with Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Springfield, the engineering firm for the project, detailed the responses made specifically to comments on the project made by the city’s conservation agent, the Planning Board and residents. He also noted that the developers had conducted site walks with the conservation agent, the planner, Planning Board members and the abutters.
Furman explained that only three acres of trees would be cleared for the project.
“We had 10.5 or 10.6 acres of woodland on the site … we are proposing to remove about 3.2 acres, which leaves close to 7 acres of undeveloped woodland area to remain on site. Of the three acres that we are taking down 1.2 acres of that is that new pine growth, which has zero value,” he said.
Following a tree assessment, Furman said much of the trees being removed were “not valuable.”
In response to an abutter comment about owls on the site, Furman explained that owls on the site could delay construction time but not halt construction entirely. He added that after a review with the MassWildlife Natural Heritage Endangered species website, there were no endangered species on the site and therefore met Massachusetts General Law standards.
“There are no rare and endangered owls in this area, that’s not to say that we don’t have owls on the property, but what our biologists are saying is that if there is some survey that is done and we found that owls are habitating on the property, it doesn’t stop the project,” he said. “What that means is we have to wait until after their mating season and then clear the land.”
Furman added that the two endangered species of owls in Massachusetts live on Cape Cod.
Following a “well-attended” meeting with abutters to the site on Dec. 15, Furman also presented a new, working plan with some changes to site design. With this new plan, Furman explained that rather than having 14 individual homes, eight of the homes would be combined into duplexes to allow for more open space on the site.
“The general theme of this is that we have the same number of units and what we’ve done is we’ve taken two units and put them together. What this has allowed us to do is to take 20 feet and immediately get rid of it. We moved the setback of one to 28 feet … and we increased this side to 60.5 [feet],” Furman said.
Furman explained that prior to the change, each unit had a 20-foot space in between, so that 20-foot space between the units was added to the outside area, creating larger setbacks for the tree buffer.
Because this was a working plan, Furman explained that it would be presented in fuller detail at the next hearing.
During the public comment portion of the hearing, Chuck McCullagh, who was representing the abutters at the meeting, said the work with the developer was “very collaborative and productive.”
“One of the key issues was how close the new structures would be to the abutting property owners. On a site visit attended by the members of the abutters and neighbors’ group, the developers saw the close proximity of some of the proposed condominiums,” he said. “Quickly after the meeting, developers were in contact with the abutters group to show an updated plan, showing the buildings further away from the boundaries.”
McCullagh added that the collaboration has been “beneficial and greatly appreciated.”
Planning Board Vice Chair James Zarvis, who was chairing the meeting because regular Chair Jesse Belcher-Timme had to recuse himself from the hearing, said he was happy with the collaboration between the abutters and the developers.
“What I’m seeing here is very positive for me. You had a meeting, listened and made changes. This is the harmony that I have been seeking,” he said.
While still awaiting an official letter from the DPW, City Planner Jeffrey Bagg explained that these homes would use a different water system than neighboring homes, which was a concern at the prior hearing.
“Verbally it was confirmed that this proposal is on a separate system than the housing on Hunter and Ashley, and it will therefore not change or exacerbate any existing conditions,” he said.
The hearing was ultimately continued to the board’s Jan. 23, 2024, meeting.