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Neighbors press DRB on safety, sewer access and privacy for Old Colchester proposal
Summary
Multiple residents told the DRB they fear added traffic, reduced privacy and uncertain sewer access from the proposed 14‑unit development at 60 Old Colchester Road; speakers asked for buffers, fences, and assurances that existing homes could tie into any new sewer line.
Several neighbors addressed the DRB during the continued conceptual review of the PUD at 60 Old Colchester Road, raising concerns about traffic, safety, sewer access and the character of the neighborhood.
David Holton, a homeowner at 66 Old Colchester Road, said the street is narrow, sidewalks stop south of the proposed site and 14 homes could bring as many as 28 additional vehicles onto a roadway that currently serves far fewer homes. Holton asked the board to require a stockade fence and vegetation screening to preserve privacy.
Longtime resident Scott Aldrich said sewer in the area has repeatedly been deferred and argued that the city should bear responsibility for bringing sewer down Old Colchester rather than relying on developer‑funded extensions. Other residents, including Dan Maxon, criticized the use of a highest‑density parcel to calculate area averages and questioned whether the PUD provided genuine public benefits such as usable open space and superior landscaping.
“We would also ask there might be some screening, so that you don't just see a complete white fence down the road,” David Holton said in public comment. Board members acknowledged these concerns and required the applicant to show strengthened buffers and to consider recorded easements and sidewalk frontage along the full parcel as part of the conditions for conceptual approval.
