McCain made that suggestion to the Duxbury Select Board and again to
the Duxbury Development Review Board at a public hearing on March 11.
The DRB meeting was a continuation of a February meeting where the
proposal to create a five-lot subdivision covering 2,085 acres on
Dowsville Road was first presented.
Applicant Forecastle Timber Company LLC was represented once again by
consultant McCain who also appeared before the Duxbury Select Board the
previous evening. McCain said he had addressed the select board
regarding the possible widening of Dowsville Road, currently a Class IV
road not maintained by the town.
CONCERNS OVER STEEPNESS
McCain said the widening of the road would alleviate any concerns over
steepness that became a significant focus of the previous hearing.
If the road was widened, the landowners would be responsible for its maintenance, according to select board member Joann Berno.
The proposed subdivision would split the 2,085 acres into five
residential lots, each measuring approximately 28 acres except for one
large 2,200-acre tract said would most likely remain in forestry use.
CRITICAL WILDLIFE HABITAT
The proposed site for the subdivision is above 1,500 feet in elevation
and, according to wildlife biologist John Buck, is host to critical
wildlife habitat. Buck wrote a letter to the DRB stating that there was
indeed critical wildlife habitat on the proposed site per the request
of an abutting landowner.
Interested parties and abutting landowners once again questioned the
proposed subdivision's compliance with the Duxbury Town Plan, which
specifically mentions the Ward Hill parcel and the town's desire to
discourage development on it.
The applicant was also represented by Attorney John Reilly, who said
that "the Town Plan is not as black and white as the zoning
regulations." At the previous hearing, McCain called the Town Plan
"aspirational."
ADDED HOMES
DRB member Wayne Walker said, "I don't think it's a good idea to
encourage development over 1,500 feet." Walker also voiced concerns
over the ability of emergency vehicles to reach the added homes on
Dowsville, should the subdivision be approved.
McCain said that the "most developable land in Duxbury is all above 1,500 feet."
At the previous hearing McCain said that his client had no interest in
putting any of the land into the Vermont Land Trust. At the March 11
hearing, McCain said his client is "willing to work with the town and
the neighbors" to reach an agreement.
DOESN'T FEEL NEIGHBORLY
One concerned party said, "It just doesn't feel neighborly."
An abutting landowner said, "It feels like you've already made up your
minds and are trying to talk us into it." Members of the DRB assured
that they would take the time to "examine all sides of the issue" and
would not reach a decision that evening.
Because the proposed subdivision is the maximum five lots, an Act 250
permit is not required, and the applicant can return in five years to
propose another number of lots. If approved, the project will still
require a number of state permits including storm water management and
water sewer.
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