Hampden Planning Board hears Summer Street subdivision opposition

The Hampden Planning Board opened public hearings on two subdivision proposals at its Aug. 12 meeting, including a five-home development at 80-82 Summer Street that drew lengthy opposition from neighbors. Residents argued the project's private road fails to meet town ordinance standards for right-of-way, setbacks, turning radius and sight distance, and urged the board to deny it. The board also took up a three-lot minor subdivision off Mayo Road.

Key points

• The board opened a public hearing on a three-lot minor subdivision off Mayo Road proposed by Robert Truergy, with a waiver request to use three-quarter-inch iron rods instead of the one-inch rods required by ordinance.
• A board member moved to approve the final minor subdivision plan for the three lots in the Residential B district, and the chair seconded; the chair voted yes.
• Engineer Justine Drake presented a revised five-home proposal for PJG Properties at 80-82 Summer Street, noting added second parking spaces per unit and realigned curves.
• Resident Ron Hajdu, speaking for about 30 minutes with time ceded by neighbors, argued the private road violates subdivision ordinance standards on right-of-way width, sideline setbacks, turning radius, intersection angle and sight distance, and proposed a motion to deny the project.
• Deputy Chief Lindstrom said a fire truck response to a smoke report at the site required a tight three-point turn but was not out of the ordinary, and that his stance on the project had not changed.
• Abutters raised concerns about blasting and ledge removal near their homes, traffic safety on narrow Summer Street, and the developer's financial and technical capacity, with one resident saying neighbors had hired a lawyer.

Next steps

• The board left the public hearing open and continued taking public comment, with more speakers remaining.
• A resident asked for a pre-blast assessment and the names of parties involved if blasting occurs during construction.
• Board members indicated they could revisit the question of whether to seek an updated peer engineering review of the revised private road alignment.

Read the full transcript