Lakeville zoning board continues Simmons Hill 40B hearing after developer revises plan; tribes and neighbors press for archaeology, water solutions

The Lakeville Zoning Board of Appeals on Feb. 11 continued a hearing on Simmons Hill LLC’s comprehensive permit under Mass. Gen. Law Chapter 40B after the developer presented a substantially revised plan and the public raised concerns about water, fire protection and cultural resources.

Attorney Robert Mather, representing the applicant, told the board the new submission replaces an earlier mixed proposal and would develop nearly the entire roughly 320‑acre parcel as 199 single‑family lots while preserving about 57% of the site as open space; an 8.8‑acre corner parcel would be held for possible commercial use. "The new proposal develops the entire site," Mather said, adding the mix will include 141 regular lots and 58 age‑restricted lots and that 25% of all units — roughly 50 homes — would be restricted as affordable.

Why it matters: the revised layout changes the scope of land disturbance and introduces new questions about infrastructure and cultural resources. Lakeville’s fire chief, Michael P. O’Brien, supplied a certified memo read into the record stating "no adequate and reliable fire protection water supply currently exists within approximately 3.5 miles of the site," and…