Neighbors press commission on Homeplace/Davis Avenue development, demand construction‑phasing and blasting safeguards

Neighbors and commissioners pressed the developer behind the Homeplace/Davis Avenue proposal for a substantially more detailed construction phase and logistics plan after repeated public testimony warned of blasting impacts, heavy truck traffic and limited road access on the narrow one‑lane portions of Homeplace.

Tony D'Andrea (speaker 9), who represented the applicant in the meeting, described a plan to stage work from the top of the property downward, use the existing driveway for initial access and to house construction parking on‑site where possible. D'Andrea said modular construction would reduce on‑site labor, and he described waivers and DPW coordination on driveways and spacing. But multiple neighbors told the commission they had not been sufficiently engaged and predicted a high volume of trucks, cranes and vendors that would use the public right‑of‑way during construction.

A public commenter described previous local blasts and said the community expects damage and disruption; commissioners asked that applicant teams develop a written, itemized construction staging and blasting mitigation plan (including pre‑blast surveys, insurer/blaster credentials, scheduled delivery windows, traffic routing and complaint procedures) and submit it for staff circulation to neighbors and departments. Commissioners and staff also recommended the applicant contact qualified blasting contractors to describe customary pre‑blast inspections and insurance/claims processes so neighbors could better assess risk.

The commission kept the matter on the active docket to allow staff and the applicant to coordinate on those requirements and to provide additional documentation to the record before a decision is taken.