The Rochester Planning Board meeting on Tuesday started with a sequel to last week’s Annual Town Meeting vote approving a zoning change to the Cranberry Highway Smart Growth Overlay District, site of a 40R residential/mixed use project being proposed for Cranberry Highway and County Road.
Ken Steen of Steen Realty and Development Corporation and his engineering consultant from Allen & Majors, Lakeville, appeared before the board to discuss what happens next with the master plan for Rochester Crossroads, 22 Cranberry Highway. The Allen & Majors consultant clarified that the new plan is for a sub district for two town houses and another sub-district for multi-family apartment units. He said the company wanted to move forward with the application for these new filings and wanted their feedback on the initial plan, including what the filing fees will be. Planning Board Chair Arnold Johnson instructed him that most are standard cost, and the peer review filing fee is $5,000.
The Planning Board had approved this project four years ago, originally for 208 units. Steen explained to the Town Meeting last week that the new plan for the 32.9 acre site will be 212 multi-family units.
The board Tuesday then approved a one-year extension of the Special Permit and Groundwater Protection District special permits for the Braley Hill North Solar Large Scale Photovoltaic installation that includes work on a scenic highway, Route 105. The board set the new permit deadline for June 28, 2026.
Next, the board approved a modification of the Special Permit and Groundwater Protection District Special Permit for Cushman Solar on Cushman Road, a plan to construct additional sub-drainage improvements within an existing driveway off of Robinson Road, but only after fielding the concerns of several neighbors over water drainage onto their properties. In response, Johnson emphasized that the contractor and developer will be responsible to not increase or redirect the water drainage flow with this project.
In other action, the board continued to its next meeting the hearing to construct a 20,000 square-foot commercial building for contractor bays with associated access drives, parking areas, utilities and storm water management system at the west side of Cranberry Highway, upon the applicant’s request.
After hearing encouraging feedback from the neighbors, the board also continued to its next meeting its Special Permit and Site Plan Review hearing for Logging Swamp Solar dba ReWild Renewables’ plan for a solar panel array on 49 acres in the area of 600 Snipatuit Road. Its abutters had repeatedly asked that the access road be moved further away from their properties. With a roomful of them looking on, Zak Markes of ReWild Renewables said he has tried to extend the olive branch as he can, and he did re-design the road to be as far away from their properties as possible. He told Alan Gragnani of 655 Snipatuit Road the road will now be 72 feet from the closest point on his property, and Lisa Christensen of 663 Snipatuit Road was told that the road is now 44 feet away. Both thanked him for making the change.
Lastly, the board began hearing a Definitive Subdivision plan for a 14.4-acre parcel at 34 Dr. Braley Road to create two house lots, one with a single-family home and another for a single-family home and agricultural building. Board members reported correspondence from a neighbor complaining he did not want the agricultural building to become a venue for public events such as weddings and other parties. Applicant Dawn Allen assured the board members will be merely to store tractors, etc. This hearing too was continued to the next meeting.
The Rochester Planning Board’s next meeting will be Tuesday, June 10 at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.
Rochester Planning Board
By Michael J. DeCicco