Developers seek 20‑lot open‑space subdivision off Cottage and Baker lanes; neighbors raise drainage, traffic and water concerns

Maccati Engineering presented a preliminary open‑space residential development (OSRD) plan to the Town of Templeton planning board on Wednesday for roughly 28 acres off Cottage Lane, Baker Lane and Stevens Way. The yield plan shows 20 buildable lots under the OSRD rules, roughly 14–15 acres of protected open space, municipal sewer and water connections, and a gated emergency access to Baker Lane for police, fire and DPW only.

Wesley Bliss, the applicant’s presenter and project representative, said the filing is for a special permit for an open‑space residential development and a preliminary subdivision plan on property owned by Jeffrey and Colleen Dusty. "The plan that you see here in front of you is considered a yield plan under the regulation," Bliss told the board, describing a 20‑lot layout and a cul‑de‑sac and connector roadway. He said the OSRD rules allow reductions from the underlying Agricultural‑1 zoning (1‑acre minimum, 150‑foot frontage) to half‑acre lots and reduced frontage (75 feet allowed, though the applicant is proposing ~100 feet of frontage on most lots to make homes feasible).

The plan would shorten the longest…