Subdivision proposal on Hoy Farm Road continued after residents and board cite missing engineering review

The Plaistow Planning Board on April 15 continued review of PB2605, a preliminary design for “Open Meadow Estates,” after members said they had not yet received the town engineering consultant’s full comments and a nearby resident urged a complete traffic study.

The plan, presented by the applicant and engineer, proposes lot consolidation across multiple tax parcels to create about 12 residential lots on roughly 84.42 acres with a new roughly 1,800‑foot roadway accessing Hoy Farm Road. The layout includes a mix of single‑family, duplex and multi‑unit dwellings and related drainage infrastructure.

Why it matters: Board members said engineering analysis from the town’s peer reviewer, Stephen (Steve) Keech, is necessary before they could safely consider conditional approval. A member of the public, Anastasia Shien of Hoy Farm Road, told the board the submitted traffic materials were a “limited review of driveway and intersection geometry rather than a comprehensive traffic impact study,” and asked the board to require either a full study or independent peer review to evaluate sight distance, horizontal curvature and intersection operations.

Applicant engineer Philip Christensen said he and the applicant had met with Keech previously and revised alignment details to address concerns; the applicant asked the board to consider conditional approval contingent on receiving Keech’s comments and on required state permits (HDES/AOT). The applicant identified a specific design question about the centerline radius at the proposed intersection that could either require a waiver from Article 7 §235‑32C (250‑ft minimum radius) or be justified by precedent on nearby Hoy Farm Road.

Board members repeatedly said they were uncomfortable deciding without the consultant’s written analysis. One member said approving without the report would risk ‘‘ignoring our process,’’ while others asked staff to confirm whether Keech’s backup (Jason Lopez) could provide substantive comments in the next several days. The board also discussed whether the proper scope is an intersection analysis at Hoy Farm Road or a larger Forest Street study; members agreed a full Forest Street study would likely exceed the scope of the Hoy Farm application.

The board provisionally scheduled follow‑up review for its workshop on May 6 and the next public hearing date of May 20, and noted the statutory review clock runs through about May 22. The board emphasized it wanted consultant comments submitted before any night‑of‑meeting arrival and told staff to seek confirmation of timing from the engineering office.

Next steps: PB2605 remains continued. The board asked staff to obtain written peer‑review comments or a timeline for those comments. The item will return to the board tentatively at the May 6 workshop and/or the May 20 public hearing, depending on when consultant feedback is available.