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Plaistow planners continue 12‑lot Couillard subdivision after safety, condo‑document questions
Summary
The Planning Board continued two linked applications from Albert (Al) Couillard — a 12‑lot subdivision and a conditional‑use permit to fill roughly 1,400 sq ft of wetlands for a new access road — after engineers and abutters raised unresolved sight‑distance and condominium document issues. The board granted a 65‑day extension and directed a site walk and tighter conditions before a vote.
The Plaistow Planning Board on July 15 continued the public hearings for two linked applications from Albert (Al) Couillard: a proposed 12‑lot residential subdivision across about 84.4 acres, and a conditional‑use permit to fill about 1,400 square feet of wetlands to construct a new access road from Luke's Way to Hoyt Farm Road.
The board’s engineering consultant, Stephen Keach, told the board he had reviewed the applicant’s July materials and that many checklist items appeared fixable, but that outstanding zoning requirements — notably condominium documents and open‑space management plans — and an unresolved conservation commission review for wetlands mean the application is not ready for a conditional approval. “I would feel a lot better if we had 30 days for the applicant, his consultant, Shay, and I to cobble together a well written list of conditions,” Keach said.
A separate but central concern was safety at the existing Hoyt Farm Road/Forest Street intersection. Board member Dan Kane and several other members of the board and the public described limited sight distance and said geometric constraints could make the existing entrance unsafe if traffic from the proposed development is added. Public commenter Diana Huff said the intersection was “very dangerous,” adding that delivery and service vehicle traffic would exacerbate risks.
The applicant said he was willing to cooperate on safety improvements and described two paths: shift the access so it meets the ordinance geometry or seek a waiver if a smaller realignment (the applicant’s sketch suggested moving Hoyt Farm Road by roughly 100 feet) would sufficiently improve sight lines. Keach described the issue as qualitative — a geometry and sight‑line problem — rather than solvable by counts alone and recommended a targeted site visit with the town engineer, Keach, and the applicant’s engineer to identify practical fixes.
The board directed staff to arrange a site walk and asked the applicant, town staff and consulting engineers to assemble a concise, objective list of conditions that could appear on a potential conditional approval. Because several items would involve the Conservation Commission and final condominium documents, the chair moved to extend the board’s 65‑day completeness review period and continue the public hearings. The board voted to accept the extension and continue the hearings (vote recorded 5‑0‑0).
Next steps: the board will hold a site walkthrough with staff and consultants, the applicant will file or refine condominium/open‑space ownership documents for town counsel review, and the Conservation Commission will weigh in on the wetland fill application before the board considers final action.
