Traffic issues in town have been a persistent concern recently. And with an incoming build alongside Route 102, town officials appear to have an idea to avoid traffic complications.
Cross Farm Development LLC is in the process of establishing plans for a 200-unit elderly housing community on Adams Road. However, a concern lies around a 2.8 acre plot in the center of the building site seperating the development and Route 102. As the property partially cuts off Cross Farm from 102, the added housing could potentially cause more congestion.
In response to such a possibility, Town Manager Kevin Smith is currently pushing forward a land sale agreement with Cross Farm, wherein the town will purchase the property from the DOT for $361,100, then immediately selling the property to Cross Farm for the same amount. Upon adding the property to their current site plan, Cross Farm will include additional entrances to the community and handle all additional fees pertaining to the purchase of the land, such as the cost of the survey plan for the plot.
Since the Conservation Commission is required by the state to be briefed on any land transaction in the town, Rich Welch and John Kalantzakos with Cross Farm met with the commission during their May 23 meeting at Town Hall, with Kevin Smith also present to further explain the situation.
Member Deborah Lievens expressed concerns over what impact the community may have on traffic, with Kalantzakos noting that concerns like hers are exactly why Cross Farm has agreed to this deal, saying that they want to “make some improvements to help the traffic.”
The alterations to the land were labeled as minor, but Smith was still adamant in getting the plan approved, stating that he is “trying to avoid another Stonehenge situation.”
Despite traffic concerns, one of the commission’s primary responsibilities in the town has always been wetland preservation. Cross Farm is not yet aware of what impact the addition would have on wetlands, which promoted commission chair Marge Badois to recommend that Cross Farm return to them in the future with a more in-depth explanation of how it would affect wetlands.
Although there appears to be a major push for the land sale, the idea is still in its planning stages. Cross Farm must still go before the town Planning Board and two public hearings before the Town Council makes a decision.