Planning Board reviews DEIS for 99‑home Ridgeway subdivision, asks technical questions

Developers seeking to convert the former Ridgeway Golf Club into a suburban subdivision presented a detailed draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) and a conceptual plan that would create approximately 105 lots across roughly 129 acres, of which the applicant said 99 would be residential lots, plus one clubhouse lot and several open-space lots for stormwater and wetland preservation.

Diego Villareal, a principal at engineering firm JMC, told the board the proposal splits the site into four parcels (A–D), preserves wetlands around existing ponds that the Army Corps of Engineers delineated, and uses dimensional flexibility in the R‑130 zoning district to reduce disturbance and preserve more open space. “We’re not using this flexibility to gain any density whatsoever. 99 lots is what can be achieved, via a conventional subdivision complying with every requirement,” Villareal said. He said the flexibility is intended to preserve about 45% of Parcel A as permanent open space.

The DEIS, the applicants said, includes alternatives analysis and a traffic study. Villareal reported traffic modeling in the DEIS projects 74 vehicle trips during the peak AM hour and 98 vehicle trips during the peak PM hour from the completed subdivision and concluded, after consultant review, that none of the 11 studied intersections would degrade in level of service. The applicants also described stormwater measures designed to detain, treat and in some cases infiltrate runoff on site and said wetlands were delineated and confirmed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Board members pressed applicants on multiple topics: parking and guest parking on narrower lots and whether on‑street parking will be allowed; how deed restrictions and an HOA will preserve rear-lot open space on Parcel A; the expected resident population; and how the board’s completeness determination starts the schedule for subsequent hearings. The applicants said public roadways will be built to the city’s 30‑foot standard, allowing on‑street parking (typically one side), and that an HOA will maintain stormwater measures and manage permanent open space. The team projected approximately 378 new residents from the 99 homes, based on bedroom counts included in the DEIS.

Other details in the DEIS the applicants cited: a landscaping program with more than 4,500 plantings, multiple stormwater basins distributed across parcels, proposed road alignments intended to improve substandard curves on local roads, and deed restrictions to prevent future development of preserved rear‑lot areas. The applicants noted that parcels with narrower frontages would still meet the 30,000‑square‑foot minimum lot area; the relief requested is for frontage, lot width and some setbacks, not for density or coverage.

The board did not close the item; members said they remain in review and requested additional materials and a site visit. The DEIS submission (initially filed in mid‑2024 per the presentation) will return for further comment and hearing scheduling; one board member suggested the earliest completeness and public‑hearing scheduling could be March, subject to required publication notices and the board’s completeness finding.