Affordable housing among closely watched items on P&Z's Nov. 19 agenda

SALISBURY — The Planning and Zoning Commission meets tonight, Thursday, Nov. 19, to continue the public hearing on proposed affordable housing units at 19 East Main St. and to continue discussion of the Bird Peak situation in Lakeville.

At a Nov. 4 hearing, John Harney Jr., representing 19 East Main owner Wendy Hamilton, submitted several documents to the commission, including water testing results and a written report from Pure Earth Environmental Surveys concerning the soil contamination checks recently conducted on the property.  

A preliminary report stated that the soil has been cleared of all contamination with the exception of lead, found on the boundary line, above the site.

“It looks like someone tore down a shed,� said Harney in a phone interview Friday, Nov. 13. “Or maybe just some stuff — lead paint, roofing tiles — got dumped close to the property line.�

Also remaining are the questions of defining “affordable� housing, how to keep the new units affordable and how the Hamilton application would fit into the town’s efforts to create affordable housing stock.

The Affordable Housing Advisory Committee currently is preparing its final report to the selectmen.

But the real sticking point may be the state Department of Transportation (DOT), which initially was willing to give a verbal approval to the driveway part of the equation. Route 41 is a state highway.

The commission asked for something in writing from the agency. The DOT responded with a list of six requirements.

The difficulty here is a line-of-sight easement looking toward town. Harney was unsure about obtaining the easement from the property owner.

Because of the amount of material submitted by Hamilton and Harney Nov. 4, the hearing was continued.

Bird Peak

The discussion of — and controversy over —  Dario Ceppi’s activities on Indian Orchard Road is also on the agenda.

At the Nov. 4 Planning and Zoning meeting, neighbors complained of increased activity at the site.

Marcello DeGiorgis of the Bird Peak Association again made the argument that Ceppi has not submitted a detailed plan for his property to the commission, and proposed that a group consisting of Mat Kiefer, George Johannesen and David Cusick assess the site.

Ceppi’s recent activities have been for the purpose of remediation. He does not currently have an application before the commission, and therefore is not required to submit a site plan.