Highland Cliff Estates, a 27-home subdivision proposed to be built on farmland in South Windham, has drawn scrutiny from residents and planning board members.

At a planning board meeting on Monday, June 8, Dustin Roma, president of DM Roma Consulting Engineers, outlined his plans to develop 46 acres of farmland into a residential subdivision, with 27 homes and 24 acres of open space. The project would be built in two phases, with the first consisting of 12 lots and the second of 15. An existing farmhouse and barn will be separated onto a 4-acre parcel, which was negotiated with the sellers, who wanted the land developed in a way that would not lead to high-density development in the field.

Ben Whalen, owner of Bumbleroot Organic Farm, whose property abuts the proposed development parcel, said his farm works every day on the land to uphold standards of environmental protection, and that the amount of land in the development designated as conservation land was below the minimum amount required by the town’s conservation subdivision ordinance. A conservation subdivision, defined by the ordinance, reduces lot area and bulk requirements in exchange for the remaining area being used for open space and environmental preservation.

Whalen also claimed the original application was for 14 houses instead of 27, and said he was concerned about the impact of clearing much of the nearby woodland on Windham’s open spaces.

Liz Wisecup, who lives across the street from the proposed location of Highland Cliff Estates, wrote in a letter to the town her main concerns were stormwater runoff and whether the local water aquifer would be able to accommodate that much new development.

David Weeks, whose family has lived in the area for generations, said he was concerned not only about the potential for increased traffic in the area, but also the impact the construction of 27 new wells and leach fields would have on the local water supply.

Roma said the project is in the early stages of development, and would be centered around a new access road to be built from Highland Cliff Road. He said an evaluation report had been done on nearby wetlands, and conservation subdivision standards are being used to work around and protect the wetland areas. The development has three proposed “hammerhead” turnarounds, though Roma said he was open to changing the road to a cul-de-sac to meet the town standard for a public way.

Roma has requested waivers to the required high intensity soil survey and the traffic impact analysis, as well as a waiver for the subdivision performance standards and minimum amount of open space required for a conservation subdivision. Windham Planning Director Stephen Puleo denied the soil and traffic waiver requests. No decision has been made on the performance standards and space waiver request.

The board questioned the “hammerhead” turnaround proposal. At a May 21 development review team meeting, representatives from the school district said buses would not travel up a road that does not have a cul-de-sac.

Board member Richard Yost praised the fact that DM Roma, an independent local company, is doing the development, as opposed to larger out-of-state developers.

A site walk is planned for July 13. An official public hearing will follow the site walk.