On Monday, June 11, 2012, the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission held their first meeting of the month. They heard from Doug Schneider, of Schneider and Associates, on behalf of Dean Withrow, who filed for a Notice of Intent to construct a new home on Grand View Avenue. Since the home would be so close to sea level, Schneider is proposing constructing it on stilts, and adding fill to the lot to raise the level of the property. The proposal caught the attention of several abutters, who attended the meeting to speak their concerns, which focused on drainage issues and whether or not it would be legal to build a home there at all.
Russell Bailey, who lives in the neighborhood, was worried that raising the grade of the land would cause rain and hurricane water to change the direction of drainage, threatening his property, as well as others. “You’re going to do away with the natural flow of water during a hurricane,” he said.
His concerns were echoed by Leslie Henderson, who said she had “a vested interest in property at 19 Bay Road.” In addition to the issue of flooding, she presented to the Commission with plans from 2007 that illustrated the intent to build a reservoir, catch basin, and swale on the property in question, in order to improve the water drainage of the neighborhood. “It takes a week to two weeks for rain water to drain from my property,” Henderson said. She also produced a notarized affidavit, co-signed by Withrow, agreeing that there would be no other development of the land except for the purposes of drainage. “I don’t understand how we can entertain the notion of putting up another dwelling when they were supposed to build a retention pond and never did,” she said.
In light of these concerns and since the project does not yet have a file number from the DEP, the Conservation Commission voted to continue the hearing until their next meeting so they may research the history of the property in order to make a better determination later.
The Commission also welcomed back Stanley Humphries, of LEC Environmental Consultants, Inc. who, on behalf of the DaRosa family, continued to discuss their plans to install coconut fiber envelopes of sand along a coastal bank, and plant various grasses and shrubs in order to prevent erosion of an area on Goodspeed Island. While the Commission seemed to be supportive of the plan, Chairman Peter Newton said that he would prefer the people of Mattapoisett be considered before they approve the plan. He suggested hiring a third party to determine of the project and proposed materials would be adequate for its intended purpose.
“This is not a trivial project for the town,” said Newton. “I think that to be fair to the residents of Mattapoisett, we really need an independent review of this proposal. If it’s going to change the landscape of Goodspeed Island, we need to know for sure.”
“They are looking at an August or September construction, so we have some time,” said Humphries, who readily agreed with the Commissions suggestion.
In other business, the Conservation Commission voted in favor of a Notice of Intent to build some small additions onto property at 20 Water Street, and voted in favor of a conservation restriction on a parcel of land near the Fairhaven town line. The land would be designated for light public recreation, such as walking, biking, and picnics.
The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Conservation Commission will be held on Monday, June 25, 2012, at 6:30 pm at the Town Hall.
By Eric Tripoli