Gold Dog condo decision deferred until August

SHARON ­— At its June 9 meeting, the Planning and Zoning Commission decided to delay its verdict on the controversial proposed housing development by the applicant known as Gold Dog LLC, however several members indicated preliminary approval of the project.

The plans propose 24 condo units in the currently forested land behind the Sharon Hospital Medical Arts Buildings which would sit in close proximity to several residences on Hospital Hill Road.

The decision to postpone was based on anticipated but not yet arrived information from the town’s third-party engineer regarding the proposal’s stormwater runoff plans and several other technical details. Chair Laurance Rand said P&Z could not issue a decision until receiving that report, which other commissioners agreed with.

Several members took the opportunity to share their thoughts on the application at the current stage, for which the public hearing closed last month after three contentious sessions that saw fierce pushback from neighbors of the proposed development.

P&Z Secretary Stanley MacMillan Jr. voiced that he felt the application demonstrated compliance with the zoning regulations of the area and that diversified housing options would be beneficial to the town. He felt the development would suit “older people who are looking downsize” or “younger people who are just getting started.”

Vice Chair Betsy Hall said the town has an obligation to follow its Plan of Conservation and Development, which calls for increased and varied housing options as well as the preservation of open space. She said cluster housing models, such as Gold Dog’s application proposes, are one way to achieve this balance.

“This project will preserve quite a bit of that lot as open space,” she said, indicating that an alternative single-family housing model would have a much larger footprint.

She stipulated it would be essential to protect the privacy of neighbors via fencing and landscaping if the project moves forward.

The Commission will take up the discussion again at its Aug. 13 meeting, when it will have to render a decision due to the expiration of its statutorily defined deliberation window. That period officially ends on Aug. 15.