HUDSON – A developer’s plan to construct a subdivision across 23 lots on the easternmost part of Lake Boon in Hudson went before the Planning Board last month as developers seek approval for their proposal.
Envisioned for a parcel spanning 16 acres on Old Country Road, the topic drew questions and calls for caution from some.
“I am incredibly concerned about this density of housing this close to the lake,” resident Alyssa Jacobs said during the June 22 meeting.
Engineer Tom DiPersio also spoke at the meeting, representing applicant Brian Jacobs.
The application for the proposal was filed on May 23, and would see the parcel subdivided into 22 single-family lots. One lot will not be used for a single-family home.
Alyssa Jacobs said she had experience in construction monitoring, adding that the idea of the parcel being clear-cut and graded so close to the lake could be disastrous.
Additionally, Jacobs said that she thought there was a missed opportunity to maintain open space and preserve land rather than using the entire parcel for a housing development.
DiPersio said that his client fully recognizes the site’s sensitivity.
“I think we’ve got a responsible site, given the site conditions, that can be one that’s protective of the lake in the end of things,” DiPersio said.
Deed restrictions discussed
Dan Barstow, director of the Healthy Lake Boon Initiative, said that, over the past several years the lake has had serious problems with algae and weeds. He said that the fourth basin, which these Old County Road properties would abut, is nearly impassible at times as a result.
Barstow said that, if the town allows the shoreline to be cleared, there is a real risk of certain nutrients going into the lake and turning the fourth basin into a marsh or a swamp.
“This would not be good for the people who are moving in, would not be good for the residents of Hudson and would not be good for the lake,” Barstow said.
Barstow suggested that DiPersio and Brian Jacobs voluntarily adopt a deed restriction on their property protecting the shoreline and preventing docks from being put in at the site.
In a conversation with the Community Advocate, Barstow later said the Lake Boon Initiative has had ongoing discussions with the developer and DiPersio, adding that they have been responsive to the concerns about the lake’s health.
“I think that that idea of having a deed restriction for the new homeowners is in the interest of everybody,” Barstow said.
Planning Board Chair Robert D’Amelio said that he was worried on behalf of people currently living in the area.
“The last thing I would want to do is anything that somehow made the lake unusable for some of them,” he said.
The Planning Board voted to extend the public hearing to July 19 at 7 p.m.
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