The Planning Board met on December 1 to hear changes made to the plans for Laurel Avenue Extension. Present for the discussion were attorney Doug Resnick, developer Thomas Perna, engineer Patrick Burke and the Dardinski family, the property owners.
Perna wants to construct a portion of the roadway on a paper street to give access to the lot owned by the Dardinskis. Although permission has been granted for Perna to build on the lot, water runoff and the steep 18% grade of the road were concerns for abutters. During the last discussion in July, abutters also voiced concerns of having Laurel Avenue continue down Hillcrest Avenue. Most abutters stated that it would be preferable to have Laurel Avenue be built up from the bottom of Downey Street. However, one abutter was concerned with this idea because they would have to back out of their driveway and go across Laurel Avenue in order to access Downey Street.
To alleviate these concerns, the plans were changed so that Laurel Avenue would be built up from the bottom of Downey Street, and the roadway was graded so that the abutters would not have to back out across Downey Street. The elevation of the roadway has been maintained until the driveway, and then the road increases in grade beyond it. If permission is granted, the grading will also be changed on another abutter’s property for the construction. When asked if other roads in town matched the grading of Laurel Avenue, Perna stated that many roads in the lake area were the same. A wall is also proposed on the north side of Laurel Avenue and will be seven feet tall at its highest point.
Drainage for the roadway was looked at next, and current conditions of the roadway were taken into account. The catchment area will extend past Hillcrest Avenue, and catchment areas were moved farther away from abutters’ properties. A small watershed in the center of the drainage system will distribute water to an underground retention area.
The Board had some concerns, such as where the water would drain to on the property. Board Chairman Ken Weismantel requested that the BETA Group look at if the drainage system was large enough to handle the amount of runoff that would flow down the road. Another concern was the stopping area for cars at the bottom of the road before Downey Street, and BETA Group was asked to review this as well. BETA Group was also asked to review what kind of railing would be needed at the wall to prevent people from going over it.
“You’re going to look it from the safety and look at it to make sure the water goes to the right spots and not somebody’s basement. ...That’s the essence, I think, of this whole project,” said Weismantel.
The Board voted to accept a request for an extension of time for the work to be done. The next meeting for Laurel Avenue will take place on January 12 at 8:30 PM.
