By Meredith Kendrick
The Planning Board met on May 14 to review a number of matter matters but the majority of the meeting focused on a formal application for a subdivision at 23 Wilson Road, submitted by Douglas and Maria Jones and represented by Charlie Evans of the Evans Family Limited Partnership. The project proposes the construction of eight residential lots and includes major upgrades to Wilson Road, a one-way street long considered substandard.
Evans presented a plan that includes full-depth reclamation and repaving of the 1,700-foot road segment, widening the travel surface to 20 feet, and regrading a sharp curve to improve safety. Two new culverts and additional catch basins were added to address drainage concerns raised in earlier meetings. An expanded easement was also proposed to allow for future road realignment if needed.
Evans asked the town to assume financial responsibility for the final top layer of pavement after the development is complete. “It became apparent that overlaying is a pretty poor band-aid…We’re giving the town probably about a $400,000 gift in the work we’re proposing,” Evans told the board. “So we don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask the town to be a minority partner and pitch in for the finish coat and if they want to do the other side of the road they can do that at their leasier.”
While board members generally agreed the road would be significantly improved by the developer’s work, some raised concerns about the long-term implications of accepting an unfinished road.
Board member Jason Knights pointed out, “When we grind it, whatever’s there, we’re going to put asphalt on top of it. Whereas, if you were doing a true road project, you would dig that down. You would see what you have for a base layer to make sure it will support and not crack in in one, two, three, five years before the town and the taxpayers then put a top coat on top of it. But it’s going to fail because you don’t have a good foundation.”
The board then discussed whether the revised plans required third-party engineering review. Planning staff advised that only the updated drainage design had not yet been reviewed, and several members emphasized the importance of an external review before final approval. “It’s light years better than what we have… but it’s a big engineering project that, in my opinion, needs to get reviewed by the people we pay to review this,” said Jason Knight.
Ultimately, at the Planning Board meeting, the board voted to grant conditional approval, pending third-party review of the drainage plans and submission of a finalized list of waivers.
The application is expected to return to the board following review and resubmission.
At the Monday night May 19 Town Council meeting, new council member Dan Bouchard raised concerns about the Planning Board’s recent conditional approval of the Wilson Road subdivision.
Bouchard asserted that the developer would only be repaving the road with a base layer, leaving the town responsible for the final top coat, which he said had been estimated during the Planning Board meeting at between $60,000 and $65,000.
Bouchard said, “The Planning Board has hooked the town for the top for $65,000,” and urged the Town Council to address the matter. He acknowledged that no monetary cost was formally included in the approval and was unsure of the actual cost number, but stressed that “there is a cost to the taxpayers to put that top on.”
Assistant Town Manager clarified at the meeting that Wilson Road is a town road, which the town is responsible for maintaining and that there wasn’t a dollar amount set for the conditional approval of the Planning Board.