Subdivision Resembles ‘Afghanistan,’ Says Chairman

Viewing the 2017 eclipse of the sun might have been tricky in the Tri-Town area on August 21. What with the hazy atmospheric conditions, residual smoke from forest fires in Canada, and only partial coverage of the sun as the moon passed over, the event wasn’t as dramatic as one would have wished.

But the photographic evidence presented by Gail Carlson, Planning Board member and resident of the Brandt Point Village subdivision, was crystal clear and left no shadow of a doubt that developer Marc Marcus of Omega Financial has not met established construction deadlines.

As the board members looked at the packet of images Carlson prepared for the meeting, Chairman Tom Tucker called the site “a war zone.”

There have been a number of meetings of the Mattapoisett Planning Board where this subdivision has been a constant theme. Tucker has instructed Planning Board Administrator Mary Crain on several occasions to invite Marcus and his team, along with members of the town’s board of health, conservation commission, and town administration, to meet and try to resolve the problems faced by residents living in Phase 1. To date, those parties have not responded, Crain confirmed.

On this night, Nathan Ketchel, Janice Robbins, Karen Field, along with Crain, Carlson, and Tucker, shook their heads over the photographs with obvious disappointment.

“It looks like Afghanistan,” Tucker sighed. Robbins asked if the development team had responded to Crain’s emailed invitations to meet with the board, to which Tucker interjected, “I’m wondering if we’ll ever see them again!”

Robbins asked, “What’s the remedy?” Tucker seemed at a loss. He asked Carlson if construction on Phase 2 had begun. “They’ve poured footings,” she replied.

“I don’t know why they would build in Phase 2 when they know they can’t get occupancy permits,” Tucker said with raw frustration.

Tucker asked Crain to send the photographs to the Board of Health, Conservation Commission, Building Department, Highway Department, Board of Selectmen, the town administrator, and town counsel, saying of the pictures, “Maybe these will get us some help.”

Also referred to during this discussion was a report submitted by Ken Motta of Field Engineering, the Town’s peer review consultant on the project.

Tucker said Motta’s report was quite detailed and reinforced what the photographs showed. Tucker said the photographs might help with securing the Cease and Desist Order he has lobbied for over many months of discussions.

Earlier in the meeting, the board members dived back into bylaw drafting in advance of the Fall Special Town Meeting. They revisited language on the sign bylaw, attempting to make the text more specific, yet easier to use by both the public and the town departments.

They discussed everything from the types of signs that would be regulated versus those that were exempted, illumination of signs, size and placement for each zoned district, temporary versus permanent signs, and which town department would oversee enforcement based on type of sign in question.

Tucker asked Crain, Ketchel, and Robbins to meet outside the public meeting format to hash out the many text edits the document required and to return to the next meeting with an updated draft for further review. He said that since only two board members would be meeting, it did not require a public notice.

The next meeting of the Mattapoisett Planning Board is scheduled for September 18 at 7:00 pm in the town hall conference room.

Mattapoisett Planning Board

By Marilou Newell

 

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