The select board devoted a long portion of its Jan. 6 meeting to the Rocky Woods proposal after the planning board requested the select board’s opinion on pursuing an open‑space residential district (OSRD) in place of the developer’s 40B application.

Board members said an OSRD can be a local tool to shape density and open-space preservation, but several members and residents said the version presented for Rocky Woods appears to disturb more land than the 40B layout and includes features such as playgrounds and stormwater facilities in areas conservation considers natural open space.

Conservation commissioners and residents expressed multiple environmental concerns: some said vernal pools were delineated out of season — which can undercount wetland limits — and warned that altering wetlands, blasting rock and moving stormwater could harm vernal-pool habitat, protected plants and archaeological sites cited by speakers. One conservation member said the OSRD conceptual plan showed more land disturbance and ‘‘cuts through the vernal pools,’’ putting wetland rims close to proposed houses.

Select board members proposed procedural next steps rather than an immediate opinion. They asked planning, conservation, water and the board to consider a joint meeting; the planning board scheduled its next discussion for Jan. 9, 2025. Several board members said the town should first review an OSRD bylaw language (the model bylaw) on its own merits and consider whether bylaw language can be written to guarantee less disturbance than a 40B outcome. The board directed staff to coordinate attendance at the Jan. 9 planning board meeting and look at a potential joint meeting with conservation and other stakeholders so the town can digest the bylaw language and request clarifying data (wetlands delineation in‑season, engineered disturbance figures, and a clear account of which parcel(s) the OSRD would cover).

Conservation explained the apparent difference: the OSRD concept combined two parcels that together total about 308 acres, while the 40B plan covered roughly 185 acres. Conservation members said the second parcel adds about 118 acres, explaining why the OSRD plan can show more disturbance — and why a fair comparison requires identical parcel scopes.

No final vote was taken; the select board agreed to attend upcoming planning and conservation meetings, request clearer in‑season wetland delineation and related technical data, and to consider whether the OSRD bylaw should be drafted at town level before using the OSRD process for a specific parcel.