Planning Board continues hearing on 1 Deer Hill Road site plan for two duplex buildings

The Planning Board on July 27 continued a public hearing on a site plan for 1 Deer Hill Road, a project that proposes two buildings arranged as four market‑style homes on a single lot. The applicant team described changes made after a design‑review meeting and presented civil, architectural and landscape plans for review.

Rexelle of Engineering Alliance described site grading, utilities and stormwater controls, saying the design includes "an infiltration trench right along the edge of the road...a 3 foot wide by 3 foot deep trench filled...with a perforated pipe" that discharges to cultek chambers inside a berm. He said the site will be served by municipal water and a single sewer trunk to which units may tie in, and that the project disturbs less than one acre (about 35,000 square feet) and is sized to retain the first inch of runoff to meet DEP water‑quality volumes. The architect reviewed fenestration, materials and porch trim changes. The landscape presenter described a low fieldstone entry wall, native wildflower seed mix, river birch and evergreen screening and permeable paver walkways to buffer abutters.

Board members pressed the team on monitoring and long‑term maintenance for pervious pavers and the stormwater system. The applicant said maintenance commitments will be included in condo documents and handled through landscape contracts, with the building inspector as the enforcement officer if problems arise before project completion. The board voted to continue the hearing to Aug. 10 so staff can circulate a draft decision and the stormwater report ahead of the next session.

"We'll draft the decision at the next meeting," the chair said, asking staff to share the draft with the applicant before the Aug. 10 meeting so parties can comment. The board set no final conditions at the July 27 session and will reconvene to resolve outstanding technical items.