At an
August 8 combined public hearing (for other projects) and limited
business meeting, the Manchester Planning Board voted again to table
the Waterford Corporation's single-family homes project.
At the opening of the limited business meeting, Chair Joan Bennett read a letter received from the developer's attorney, Nicholas Lazos. It requested that the Board grant an extension of two weeks before voting to approve or deny the project, that is, that the project be voted upon at the Board's next meeting - a business meeting to be held on August 22.
Previous to the July 25 meeting of the Board, members had been presented with a "staff report" prepared by the Planning Department. The report summarized issues raised at the Public Hearing on June 13 and gave an analysis of them. A number of these issues were related to concerns expressed by Public Works Director, Frank Thomas.
The letter from Attorney Lazos was concerned to a high degree with one of these issues, the access to Hackett Hill Road from the single-family homes "community" slated to be built north of Countryside Village. A new street, Teaberry Place, was proposed for this purpose. However its location would displace a possible extension of Millstone Avenue, a Countryside Village street, to Hackett Hill Road, and in the 1980s, the Planning Board had stipulated that this extension be constructed "at a future date." Mr. Lazos wrote that he planned to resolve this issue with the Board of Mayor and Aldermen. The Planning Board voted unanimously that the extension be granted, although doubts were expressed that the issue could be resolved within 2 weeks.
Terry
Harlacher, representing the Planning Department, noted that Mr.
Thomas had also expressed concerns about Waterford's request that the
Planning Board grant waivers to several public street standards. He
reminded the Board that the staff report indicated that it would be a
bad practice to reduce established standards in the development of
public streets and sidewalks, especially in any instances where
liability issues might be created. The Board then voted unanimously
to deny Waterford's request for requested waivers for: (1) the
reduction of pavement widths to 24 and 28 feet; and (2) the
construction of sloped granite curbing.
Members of the Board who were present and voted on the Waterford issue were: Planning Board Chair Joan Bennett, Raymond Clement, Kevin McCue, Christopher Dodd, Peter Capano, Alderman Mary Sysyn and Alternates Todd Connors and George Holt.
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