Norton Selectmen Slam Island Brook 40b Project

The Norton Board of Selectmen approved a letter of requirements for the Island Brook Development Chapter 40b project.

The housing project, currently slated for 274 East Main St., had some problems, according to the board. So much so it’s been in the preliminary process of construction for over a decade.

Among the list of problems the board has with the development as it’s currently designed, one of the major concerns would be the development’s proximity to the road.

“These buildings are so close in proximity to the street it could be very dangerous by way cars entering the buildings,” chair Robert Kimball said. “The traffic engineer we hired said because the buildings were so close, people would be forced to slow down. I don’t agree with that.  There’s no wall or border [in the design] along the property to stop anybody who got out of hand.”

Selectmen voted 5-0 to ask the developer to remedy these problems, but Kimball expressed his feelings on what they may or may not do.

“What’s happening down there is the developer is not making any kind of commitment,” he said.

Kimball pointed out that even in commercial zoning, the minimum length of frontage between the building and the sidewalk is 25 feet. The developer has designed only 15 feet of frontage in certain areas of the project.

“Our zoning doesn’t allow anything under 45 feet in residential,” he said.

The board also wrote a different letter voicing their other concerns with the project, which included softening the curve near the property, installation of sidewalks on East Main Street, streetlights (paid and maintained by the developer and then the homeowners), mitigate concerns from the conservation commission and drainage concerns.