Pre-application review for Buckton Hollow Farm prompts board concerns about wetland crossing, road width and barn preservation

The planning board spent the longest portion of its June 11 meeting on a pre-application concept review for Buckton Hollow Farm (300 Buckton Street), a proposed conservation-style subdivision that would reduce a prior duplex proposal to nine single-family lots.

Attorney Dan Ardente and engineer Eric P R I B described a 25.5-acre site with a conserved western open-space area, a roadway that would reuse an existing driveway and a wetland crossing where the applicant said they contemplated narrowing the pavement to 20 feet at the crossing to reduce impacts. The concept calls for 61% open space (above the 50% requirement for conservation developments), lots averaging about 40,000 square feet, and two low/moderate-income units (about 22% of the total lots).

Board members expressed multiple concerns. Several members urged the applicant to consider making the pavement width 26 feet (the town standard) rather than the proposed 20 feet, in part to ensure safe plowing and two-way access for emergency vehicles. Members also pressed the applicant on cul-de-sac length, the lack of sidewalks and the close siting of an existing barn (the applicant said the barn sits 5.7 feet inside the front-right-of-way line). One board member suggested the barn be incorporated into the open space or deeded with use restrictions; neighbors urged deed restrictions or HOA covenants that would prevent event uses.

Engineer Eric P R I B said the scheme preserves wetlands and limits wetland impacts, retains an existing barn that the applicants prefer to keep on lot nine, and proposes a cul-de-sac and private wells/septic for the lots. Kevin Morren, speaking for the applicant entity, signaled willingness to consider technical fixes such as modifying easements or carving land to simplify shared-driveway arrangements.

Public commenters raised concerns during a public hearing the board opened for this item: residents voiced worries about accessory dwelling units (ADUs) that state law allows on lots, the precedent set by multiple waivers and the absence of sidewalks along Buckton Street. The board and applicant agreed to continue refining the design and to provide more detailed exhibits — including previous stipulations, easement language and an enlarged open-space plan — if the applicant returns for master-plan or preliminary review.

Why it matters: The pre-application review frames key trade-offs — wetland protection versus road standards, open-space stewardship and long-term maintenance, and the community’s expectations for sidewalks and waivers. How the board resolves pavement-width and waiver questions will shape whether the plan is permitted and how the open space and existing barn are preserved.

Next steps: Applicant to consider board feedback (pavement width, sidewalks, barn/open-space treatment, easement cleanup) and may return as a master-plan or preliminary application; the planning office will provide prior decision documents and stipulations for the board’s review.