DEERFIELD — The Planning Board will meet Monday to discuss and potentially vote to approve, or not approve, preliminary plans for a proposed 36-duplex condominium subdivision on Sugarloaf Street.
“They’ve been very thorough — police, fire, they’ve all seen it, and (haven’t) seen anything that’ll jump out,” Planning Board Chair John Waite said Friday about preliminary plans for the proposal, first brought before the board Sept. 12 by developer Mark Wightman.
During that meeting, Wightman proposed to build 36 duplexes for a total of 72 apartments in a field behind Mountain Road, at the base of Mount Sugarloaf. The plan was met with community support as well as public protest based on flooding, traffic and conservation concerns.
Since the meeting, protests to the project have continued — as of Friday, residents up and down Sugarloaf Street had posted signs decrying the project.
In preparation for Monday’s meeting, Waite stressed that the Planning Board is only responsible for ensuring the development meets town zoning bylaws; if the plan meets those laws, the board will approve it. He also said that while Monday’s meeting allows for public comment, it’s not designed for detailed discussion.
“My main goal is to facilitate good meetings, with good input, and to follow the rules,” Waite said about the Planning Board’s purpose in the process. “Our goal is to stick to the bylaws.”
Waite said if the preliminary plans are passed — which doesn’t mean the subdivision itself has been approved — the project will move on to the next phase, which will be “a chance to get into the nuts and bolts.”
“(If) we say that it fits our zoning bylaws, than the applicant has six to nine months to come back with a definitive subdivision plan,” Waite continued, adding that, if that happens, a public hearing will be held as an opportunity for detailed public discussion.
Following Wightman’s preliminary proposal, town officials — including members of the Planning Board and Selectboard — visited the site with the developer on Sept. 26.
By way of explaining what bylaws his proposal falls under, Wightman wrote in an email that the development is “a standard subdivision design based on the subdivision regulations and the zoning bylaws.”
Wightman said the four parcels and 22 acres his development covers falls under Center Village Residential District zoning. He said the zone allows duplex structures, defined as “a single building with two separate living units,” to be built around 100 feet from each other, in contrast to other zoning requirements such as the rural agricultural district, which requires double that distance for frontage and setbacks.
“Subdivisions are allowed by right,” the developer added, “which means the creation of a subdivision by a landowner cannot be denied if the landowner follows the subdivision regulations of the town, which find their basis in the zoning regulations.”
Wightman said that, as a longtime community member, his project addresses a few community needs including lack of senior housing and low cash flow.
The project, he wrote, “supplies senior-specific, single-floor, open concept living for those who require or desire it … increases the tax base in town by over $320,000 (based on my estimated assessment of the proposed units by the town assessors),” and “will also create additional shoppers for our downtown stores, shoppers who traditionally use services offered in our downtown.”
All of this, Wightman added, is “in an effort to keep our Downtown vibrant and viable.”