HUDSON – Members of Green Hudson have recently been picketing in front of the Lakemont development on Lake Boon, asking the developer to offer an electric option for heating and cooling for the future homeowners.
“It’s absurd. Just like we’re trying to phase out gasoline cars, we need to phase out homes that use gas and oil,” said Elisa Pearmain.
The development is being built by Toll Brothers.
According to the project’s website, Lakemont by Toll Brothers will include 21 single-family homes on the shores of Lake Boon on Old County Road. The homes will include four bedrooms and between 3.5 to 4.5 bathrooms.
The homes on display on the project’s website list prices starting at $1.4 million and run up to $1.6 million.
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In a statement, a spokesperson from Toll Brothers said, “We are always exploring opportunities to incorporate green technologies into our communities. For example, all Toll Brothers homes in Massachusetts include electric car charges and offer options for solar energy systems and electric appliance packages.”
The project first went before the Planning Board in June 2022.
According to meeting minutes, the development will sit on a 16-acre parcel. Prior to development, there were four small houses and associated out buildings on the site, and the remainder of the property was wooded.
The plans call for an entrance to the development off Old County Road. The road will then split into two cul-de-sacs.
Ultimately, the Planning Board approved the application for the project that November.
Green Hudson member’s concerns
According to Green Hudson member Tina Grosowsky, they have met with Toll Brothers “many times” because the group was concerned about climate change and greenhouse gas emissions. Toll Brothers is constructing the homes without an electric option for heating and cooling, and all of the homes will be using propane gas for their heating and cooling, she said.
“We know gas causes greenhouse gas emissions and is what’s contributing to global warming,” said Grosowsky.
She noted that several communities in Massachusetts are participating in a pilot program to limit the use of fossil fuels in building projects. If the municipalities are successful, the state may allow towns to vote to have fossil fuel-free construction moving forward, she said.
“That means places like Hudson – these new buildings will all be stranded assets. So, people will have them, and they’ll be on gas, and they’re going to have to pay to convert over to electricity as opposed to being able to buy it in the first place,” said Grosowsky.
When the Community Advocate spoke with Pearmain and Grosowsky on July 19, Green Hudson members had already picketed near the development the prior week. Grosowsky said Toll Brothers had not reached out to them since they began picketing. She said they also reached out to upper level management, but hadn’t heard back, though they did speak with a regional director and the developer designee for community liaison.
Grosowsky said one of the people the Green Hudson members spoke with said that Toll Brothers was getting close, but they were not offering an electric option for heating and cooling.
“They say they’re just too big of a corporation to do that with all of their suppliers already have all of the stuff and they can’t go outside of the suppliers that they use,” said Pearmain. “You know, it’s a good story, but it’s got to change. They have to know that people are going to demand this, and they can’t keep doing it.”
