Templeton planning board prefers cluster open-space approach for Baker Lane proposal

The Town of Templeton Planning Board unanimously indicated a preference for an open-space cluster development over a conventional subdivision for a proposed project on Baker Lane and Stevens Way and continued the public hearing to Aug. 12 at 6:30 p.m.

Board members said the cluster option would preserve more open space and reduce disturbance to steep and ledge-filled terrain while noting infrastructure questions remain unresolved.

At the meeting, planning board members and residents discussed the project only in conceptual terms; no engineered plan had been submitted. Board member Charlie said the inclusionary housing bylaw is in place to reduce land consumption by allowing greater yield on less acreage, and that cluster design “uses less land, leave[s] more open space.” A resident, Mike Dolaba, said, “There will be open space regardless.” Resident Greg McVaughn raised a separate concern about road width, saying, “The right of way is supposed to be for the road, it's supposed to be 50 feet,” and described a “pinch point” adjacent to his property.

Board members and residents pressed several technical points they said will need engineering detail in later filings: stormwater management (one board member noted the conceptual plan showed two basins and asked whether that would be adequate for the site’s steep slopes and ledge), water-supply improvements including looping the main to avoid dead-end service, and road right-of-way and access design (including an emergency-access question about a gated connection to Stevens Way). A planning board member said that “either one requires stormwater management, though,” and that engineering must ensure pre- and post-development runoff does not increase.

The board also discussed how inclusionary-housing obligations would apply; meeting remarks reflected uncertainty about the exact ratio, with one board member saying the bylaw requires roughly an affordable unit for every “7 or 8” houses and another noting it may be “9, but I'll double check that.” Planning staff instructed that those calculations would be clarified in later submissions.

Board members emphasized that the hearing at this session was directional rather than definitive: the applicant had presented conceptual layouts showing both a conventional, roughly acre-per-lot option and a higher-density cluster option. The board’s preference for cluster was couched as guidance to the applicant; members noted the applicant remains entitled to pursue either approach under local bylaws if subsequent plans comply.

The board voted to amend the motion to include the specific verbiage from the public-hearing notice (the project had been advertised as “preliminary site plan review and special permit request for an open space residential development”) and then voted to continue the public hearing to Aug. 12 at 6:30 p.m. so the applicant could submit engineered plans and the board’s consulting engineer could begin a review.

Board members and residents also raised procedural questions that will need to be resolved in later filings: whether any 50-foot right-of-way pinch points will require a variance; whether the gated access to Stevens Way will remain emergency-only during construction and how that will be enforced; and how inclusionary units will be sited and secured by covenant or agreement. A board member summarized the procedural status: the meeting provided direction on density (preference for cluster) but not approval of a final plan, and multiple technical controls (order of conditions, stormwater design, roadway acceptance) will be set when formal plans are submitted.

The public hearing was continued to Aug. 12 at 6:30 p.m.; the board requested the applicant submit engineered stormwater plans, a water-supply/service plan showing proposed looping, and a roadway plan addressing right-of-way and access constraints before that date.