Owners present pre‑application plan for five‑lot minor subdivision off Old Hopkins Cemetery Road; board flags wetlands, septic encroachment and private‑road/HOA

Edward R. Forward and Jennifer Timio and their engineer, Sergio Chirenzio, presented a pre‑application to the Hopkinton Planning Board for a minor subdivision of roughly 46.8 acres on Crandall Lane with proposed access from Old Hopkins Cemetery Road. The proposal would create four or five lots, including splitting a central parcel that currently contains two residences and addressing an existing septic system that encroaches across a property line.

At a lengthy presentation and board discussion, the applicant’s team described wetlands on the northeastern portion of the site, steep slopes on the southern sections, a Rhode Island Energy easement crossing the property, and a small potential vernal pool that recent monitoring did not confirm as a vernal pool. The applicants also said they had paid outstanding liens and completed soil test pits on proposed house sites.

Sergio Chirenzio, the project engineer, told the board the parcel is constrained by topography, wetlands and cross easements and explained two plan options: a shorter common driveway configuration and an extended private cul‑de‑sac that would allow additional frontage and an extra lot. “We staked out where we were going to put the driveway…and Ed came to me and said, I can’t cut the road in there. Can you move it over? I said, sure. We’re a pre‑app,” Chirenzio said, describing iterative changes to align road location with ridge topography.

Board members and staff focused on several recurring issues: whether the development should be processed as a conventional subdivision or as a residential compound/cluster (the applicants said they prefer a private road/compound to reduce required variances), how to handle frontage and private road ownership (homeowners association vs. a separate road lot), and whether deeded rights on Crandall Lane or existing access arrangements for neighboring lots will affect any future application.

A notable technical constraint is an existing septic system that currently crosses the property line and encroaches onto proposed Lot 4; applicants said they are discussing options with the neighboring owner including an easement, license, lot line adjustment or future relocation when a system is replaced. The engineering team said proposed lots each have areas adequate for septic systems and houses, but detailed stormwater, soils and wetlands work would be required at the formal application stage. The engineer also noted that drainage from the site ultimately reaches Milles Brook and the Pawcatuck River system and that stormwater design will need to account for impaired waters.

The board and applicants discussed options to minimize required variances. Chirenzio suggested converting the application to a compound or cluster development to allow private roads and meet frontage requirements without variances; planning staff encouraged the applicants to pursue the approach that minimizes variances. Members asked applicants to confirm deeded rights and any existing maintenance agreements for Crandall Lane before a formal filing; Forward said current neighbors informally cooperate on maintenance but the owner intends to formalize maintenance through a homeowners association if necessary and to repair or replace the existing shared road.

No vote or formal application decision occurred; the meeting served as a pre‑application consultation. The planning staff and board asked the applicants to work with staff to refine plans, to show how proposed private roads and common drives will be owned and maintained, to resolve the septic encroachment or show a path to resolve it, and to provide a compilation plan if they pursue neighborhood‑character adjustments later. The applicants said they will return with revised plans and documentation, including lien discharge evidence already provided to staff.

Next steps The applicants were advised to prepare formal application materials that include stormwater analysis, state permits (identified by staff as necessary at later stages), documentation of deeded rights on Crandall Lane, a proposed homeowners association or road maintenance plan for private roads, and any easements or lot line adjustments necessary to regularize septic service. The board indicated a preference for solutions that reduce the number of required variances.