Stage I consists of the relocation of the Hackett Hill Road access to the site to provide direct access to the property. The existing Hackett Hill Road alignment will be changed to form a "T" intersection with the newly aligned main road. Also part of Phase I are proposed improvements to the Front Street/Hackett Hill intersection. Stage II consists of the improvements required to bring development areas A1, A2 and A3 to market, as well as Area C. Total development area included in this phase is approximately 42 acres.

While traffic lights are needed at the intersection, the planned road-building and "T"intersection near Area 3 will involve considerable expense and will bring about highly visible deforestation and habitat loss.

Area A1 consists of approximately 23.4 acres in the NE corner of the property bounded by Hackett Hill Road to the East, Countryside Boulevard to the north, Millstone Brook to the west and the French Hall property to the south. The parcel slopes towards Millstone Brook, and also includes a wetland area that separates the development area from Hackett Hill Road.

The wetland area is forested and of considerable size. It contains a brook which enters the property after passing beneath Hackett Hill Road. This area is undoubtably highly sensitive to development-related impacts.

This parcel is one of the only areas of the property that may support large buildings up to 250,000 SF which could be used for light manufacturing. It could be reached by construction of an access drive behind French Hall and paralleling Millstone Brook, or alternatively via Hackett Hill Road.

It is planned to construct the large "light manufacturing building" in a heavily wooded area, where the thin soil is ill-suited to development. This area (A1) is in direct proximity to a small condo complex located at the corner of Hackett Hill Road and Countryside Boulevard. The building will literally be side-by-side with these homes, which were purchased by individuals in part because of the surrounding woodlands. Furthermore the building of roads in this area will result in additional deforestation and will heighten environmental impacts to wetlands caused by the building construction.

Area A2 consists of the French Hall property. It is approximately 6.9 acres in area, primarily flat and could be redeveloped to support a variety of uses. It contains a classroom building and parking lots and could be used by a City agency, or for administrative offices for the School District, or for a regional special education center.

The use of French Hall for environmental education purposes is part of the Sierra Club's plan for the use of the Hackett Hill property. However this undertaking will be pointless if the surrounding property is heavily developed and has a high traffic volume. These changes will render the property useless for any type of field studies.

Area A3 is an ~4 acre parcel of land on the north side of Hackett Hill Road, west of the F.E. Everett turnpike. It is disconnected from the overall property, yet has excellent potential for visibility from the highway. It could be developed along with the office park, or independently.

Area A3 site development and building construction will require deforestation and habitat loss, as well as placing non-residential building(s) along Hackett Hill Road in what is currently a semi-rural area.

Area C consists of a 25.9 acre parcel of land along the steeply sloped east side of the existing access road. It will require significant earthwork to achieve a buildable site. The positive aspect of this area is that is will likely have commanding views and visibility from the F.E. Everett Turnpike.

The "significant earthwork" required to construct buildings on a steep slope is a definite understatement. Clearly, the expense involved in such an undertaking will be considerable. This area is also heavily forested and in order to achieve "commanding views and visibility", it is likely that much deforestation will occur beyond that required for the actual building sites.