Planning Board Discusses Morgan Farm/Powissett Estates Application

The Westwood Planning Board last week pondered recommendations from Town Planner Nora Loughnane regarding a long-discussed .

Specifically, Loughnane recommended that the board entertain the plan proposed in 2010 and to allow Wall Street Development to submit an alternate plan that would not allow for a thru-way emergency road at the venue.

“I think it would be fruitless to reconsider a plan that has been improved upon,” said Loughnane, referring to the original plan proposed in 2007, which was improved upon in 2010.

The 2010 plan included 11 buildable lot subdivisions known as Morgan Farm Estates; the creation of a roadway between Little Boot and Shoe String Lane was also discussed.

However, after a series of meetings, the plan was lessened by one lot and Wall Street Development Corporation President Lou Petrozzi was asked again to try to bring the number of lots as close to one as possible.

Petrozzi brought three alterations to the original proposed subdivision, but the Planning Board and members of the public weren’t happy with any of them. The lowest number of lots in the proposed alternative plans was six, with the other two calling for seven.

The Planning Board denied the plans, but Lougnane said the court found there were insufficient reasons for denial.

Loughnane explained that Petrozzi took the plans that were denied and resubmitted with revisions, which was also denied.

As such, Loughnane recommended that the board allow the applicant to consider taking the plan and discussing the issues. She noted though, that the plan would still include a thru street as an emergency connector. This is something that the board has consistently avoided and most of the neighbors would not be pleased with.

Chair Steven Rafsky said that his preference would also be to start with the 2010 plan, but see if something better could be worked out.

“People want closure on this thing,” said Rafsky. “Mr. Petrozzi wants closure on this thing.”

Petrozzi said that for this particular site he does not think a dead end is a good idea, saying that from his perspective it was always thought that an extension of Morgan Farm Road was always the way to go. He said that the he hopes that the Planning Board will grant several waivers, but this is something that the board is not accustomed to doing.

Petrozzi said that at some point the board either needs to grant a waiver or move on.

“We’ve danced enough,” said Petrozzi.

The Planning Board will continue the public hearing Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.