FREEPORT — The Project Review Board on July 18 granted preliminary approval for a 14-lot subdivision on Wardtown Road. 

CCS Subdivision, as proposed by Terradyn Consultants on behalf of Jeff Munn of Building Systems LLC, would subdivide almost 30 acres of land at 44 Wardtown Road for the eventual construction of 14 single-family homes. 

The lot is on the east side of Wardtown Road in the town’s Medium Density Residential 1 district, which allows construction of single-family dwellings. 

As it stands, 14 Wardtown Road consists of approximately 9.6 acres with fields and wooded areas, wetlands and two streams. A right-of-way would take up about 2 of those acres, leaving about 19 acres of open space. According to the proposal, the majority of that open space is a continuous parcel that includes the wetland and stream area and would connect the subdivided lots at the rear. 

An additional 30-foot swath of open space sits along Wardtown Road that would “protect vegetation and ensure a visual buffer in (the) area.”

According to the application, existing trees along the roadway will remain to provide buffering. Trees that aren’t within the 30 feet of open space along the Wardtown Road right-of-way will be transplanted into the area. 

The board approved the plans subject to review by a landscape architect to suggest a plan for on-site buffering, specifically what species of trees should be planted and where, because town ordinances discourage approval of subdivisions that are visible from main roads. 

Adrienne Fine, a civil engineer with Terradyn Consultants, said the plan is to plant more trees, including hemlock and spruce, throughout the lots once they are subdivided, but agreed to seeking further suggestions from a landscape architect. 

“The trees that are here now are not big yet, but they’re healthy trees and we do intend to make sure they’re protected and they grow up,” Fine said. 

The open space, management facilities and roadway of the subdivision, once completed, will be owned and maintained by a homeowners association. The board asked that, when submitting documents for final approval, the applicant provide a revised draft of the homeowners agreement to include language clarifying how the association’s responsibilities will be enforced. 

Neighboring land uses on all sides are residential. With approval from the board, Fine said, the applicant would move forward with two abutter conveyances: approximately 540 square feet of land would be transferred to a property to the east of the development, known as the O’Donaghue lot, and almost 9 acres at the rear would be conveyed to an abutting parcel to the northeast, known as the Schwanda lot, separated by a stream and large area of wetland.

Planning Assistant Caroline Pelletier said Tuesday that the applicants had not yet submitted documents for final plan approval, but had until July 25 to do so for their request to be taken up during the board’s next meeting on Aug. 15.

Jocelyn Van Saun can be reached at 781-3661, ext. 183 or jvansaun@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter @JocelynVanSaun.