The Taunton Planning Board voted Nov. 6 to approve a modification to the Richmond Pointe Estates subdivision that replaces the original country‑drainage plan with a system of curtain drains, grass swales and two rain‑garden/detention basins and allows duplexes on six lots.

Attorney Joseph DeMello and project engineer John D'Souza told the board the design preserves wider lots than the zoning minimum (about 30,000 square feet each), retains swales along both sides of the roadway, and routes collected water through curtain drains into two rear basins that function as wet basins/rain gardens to reduce total suspended solids (TSS). The team said the design was reviewed by the Taunton Conservation Commission and appealed to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection; a superseding order of conditions from DEP has been recorded and the project has been revised to respond to that order.

City staff and the city planner briefed the board on department comments and recommended several conditions, including deletion or modification of two obsolete conditions from the 2002 decision, addition of outside‑consultant inspection for road construction, and an initial escrow deposit to fund construction oversight. The city engineer requested clarifications on basins, sewer manhole details, utility coordination, and water‑main valve stubbing; the applicant agreed to update plans and to meet the engineer's specifications.

Several abutters urged the board to require post‑construction monitoring, a performance bond or escrow to fix drainage problems if they occur, and regular maintenance of basins and swales. Neighbors also asked whether the proposed work could worsen flooding or increase silt in Richmond's Pond; one commenter raised historical concerns that unmarked graves may exist in the area and asked how excavation would be handled. The applicant and the project attorney said the subdivision had passed conservation and DEP review and that the submitted design and the proposed permit conditions are intended to mitigate existing drainage problems.

On a motion recorded by the board, members voted to approve the subdivision modification subject to all department comments, to require the outside consultant inspection and the recommended escrow and to require the applicant to resolve the city engineer's outstanding technical items before final construction approval.