Rochester’s Planning Board Tuesday moved closer to approving the Site Plan Review permit for a 68-unit age 55-and-over senior living apartment building proposed for Rochester Crossroads by agreeing to draft the permit decision.
Project consultant Joseph Sandu met with the board to report the town’s peer review engineer had “mild comments” on the plan for 22 Cranberry Highway, and he asked for board members’ final comments. As they had no comment, they approved a short list of permit waivers requested by the applicant and moved to draft a permit decision in time for the next meeting.
Before and after this decisive action, however, came a series of big project continuances. Upon the petitioner’s request, the Site Plan Review hearing for Afonso Built Homes’s plan for a Townhouse development within Rochester Crossroads was continued to December 16, and the board extended its decision deadline for the project to January 31, 2026.
The Definitive Subdivision permit hearing for a three-lot subdivision on an 8.67-acre parcel at 19 County Road was also continued to that date and the board’s decision deadline extended to January 6.
The Special Permit and Site Plan Review permit hearing for the proposal from Logging Swamp Solar dba ReWild Renewables to install a solar panel array on 49 acres in the area of 600 Snipatuit Road was continued to December 16 and the project’s decision deadline extended to January 15.
Lastly, the board delayed its decision vote on the permit for the 53 Dexter Lane floating solar array project to December 16 and its decision deadline to December 17. This came after a lengthy debate on its draft decision. At the last Planning Board meeting, Member Ben Bailey recommended the unique permit condition that the petitioner monitor whether any waterfowl, who may mistake the array for the water surface, are injured or killed by the panels. Bailey complained on November 10 that the resulting permit condition in the permit has no teeth. Property owner Jim Rezendes promised he will monitor for such occurrences. Bailey wanted stronger language to that effect or to take the condition out. Chairman Arnold Johnson said the board needed more time with the draft and would not render a decision that night.
The Rochester Planning Board’s next meeting will be on Tuesday, December 16 at 7:00 pm at Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.
Rochester Planning Board
By Michael J. DeCicco