Planning board grants landscaping extension and temporary occupancy for two Drew Farmhouse units

The Westford Planning Board voted unanimously to approve a minor modification that extends the deadline to complete landscaping at the Drew Farmhouse development and to allow occupancy of two Habitat units while landscaping is finished.

Attorney Melissa Robbins, representing Drew Farmhouse, Inc., told the board the work required by condition 12—landscaping and an as-built—cannot be completed now because adjacent state Department of Transportation work and Habitat for Humanity construction on the west side of the site prevent safe planting. "We would like an extension of time to complete the landscaping. We're hopeful that we can still get it done this year," Robbins said, asking the board to set a completion date up to Nov. 1, 2026 and to release occupancy permits for the two Habitat units.

Board members questioned whether a shorter extension would be more appropriate given ongoing road work. Robbins said the applicant was willing to accept a shorter deadline if the board preferred but asked flexibility to return for further extensions if circumstances beyond the applicant's control prevented planting. After discussion, the board agreed to a near-term deadline with the understanding the applicant could petition again if necessary, and a member moved and the board seconded the proposed modification. The chair called the vote and the motion carried with all members present saying "I."

The action allows the two Habitat units to be occupied while the town retains the condition that full landscaping and the required as-built documentation be completed by the agreed deadline or as otherwise authorized by the board. The applicant indicated it expects state documentation and buyer closings to occur this summer; the board recorded the motion and closed that agenda item.

The board moved on to its scheduled public hearings after the vote.