Everyone in Pembroke already knew that the hot issue in town – a proposal to build 55 house lots in an area known for its serenity – would take a long time to resolve.
And now, with the current state of the world dealing with a deadly virus, the issue will drag on even longer, after yet another meeting, this one slated for April 28, was postponed until May 26 because of problems allowing residents to participate in the meeting remotely.
Technology was in place to allow residents to remotely watch or hear the public meeting. The planning board – in a process that’s not close to reaching a conclusion – was to vote on the latest proposal, a compromise by a Nashua builder to use less land and build an access road to the houses.
But technology doesn’t always cooperate, and that was the case here, after a different public meeting had been called off in March.
“We had too many glitches in the software and we would not have been able to do what we needed because of technical difficulties,” said Planning Board Chair Carolyn Cronin.
Cronin spoke from her town office and said others are there each day as well. She said everyone wears a mask and plenty of distance is kept between staff.
“It’s pretty spaced around here,” said Cronin, whose voting power makes her a pivotal player in this long-running saga, which pits new construction that would bring new families to town against a place longtime residents have know as a popular spot for walking and horseback riding.
“I’ve heard from both sides,” Cronin said. “I think it has been difficult with the pandemic. We cannot hold any type of meeting, and a lot of people are invested in this.”
The select board rejected an earlier plan at a meeting eight months ago, which was attended by about 50 people, when life was normal. The select board voted 5-0 to put the plan on hold until all environmental and logistical questions had been answered.
The unanimous decision slowed builder Ken Lehtonen’s effort to construct 47 new homes. Added traffic, skeptics said, would change the country feel of Fourth Range and Robinson Flag roads.
At the time, Lehtonen, who owns San-Ken Homes in New Ipswich, said other options to push his plan through remained on the table, and he was confident he could still make a deal.
“I don’t think it will be a problem,” Lehtonen said. “We have other avenues, other ways of moving forward.”
One was the compromise laid out by Lehtonen but not yet addressed because of COVID-19: an open-space development with 55 homes, which would occupy less land than his first proposal.
“It’s a clustered style of subdivision,” Cronin said, “but it’s a lot smaller and clustered together for more open space.”
Building a brand new access road would allow Fourth Range and Robinson Flag to maintain their tranquil profiles, and there’s little doubt that Lehtonen saw this as a peace offering that could work. The land would need its own septic tank and well.
“I don’t like it,” said Ammy Heiser, who, as the chairwoman of the Conservation Committee, is a leading opponent of the measure. “It is a compromise, yes, but they are doing an open space plan, and that would be squeezing too many houses in too small of a space.”
Heiser said many of the same problems that opponents expected from last year’s plan will surface with the new one.
“All of this has the same impact on the ecosystem as before,” Heiser said.
Heiser was also upset because her suggestion to use an independent hydrologist to analyze the plan and its potential effects didn’t happen.
“We felt it should have been done through an independent study,” Heiser said, “We shouldn’t have to rely on what San-Ken Homes says.”
Meanwhile, Cronin emailed concerns that residents still have, about increased traffic, impact on wetlands and wildlife, new financial responsibilities aimed at the town and school district, and “the impacts to the character of the neighborhood.”
The rescheduled planning board meeting is on May 26, site to be determined.
“We anticipate this will be a virtual meeting,” Cronin said. “We have been able to resolve the telephone participation issue, but it will still be a challenge moderating a virtual meeting. It’s all so new to us.”