Sherbrooke Farms deadline extended
Part of the land where Sherbrooke Farms would be built, as seen from Dartmouth Orchard. Photo by Kat Sheridan
Part of the land where Sherbrooke Farms would be built, as seen from Dartmouth Orchard. Photo by Kat Sheridan
The developer for Sherbrooke Farm, an 156-unit development proposed for 498 Old Westport Road, agreed to extend the deadline for approval to Thursday, July 9.
Sherbrooke Farms is a 40B project. Chapter 40B allows developers to bypass some local zoning laws if at least 25% of the property is deemed affordable. Thirty-nine of the apartments would be affordable.
The developer, Rick Lincoln, agreed to the extension as he will potentially have to request more waivers to compromise on landscaping and parking plans.
During the meeting on Monday, June 8, Zoning Board of Appeals members debated on how to maximize the amount of landscaped islands in the parking lot and parking spaces.
Chair Michael Medeiros wanted to ensure there is enough parking on the property, as he recalled at the first meeting members of the public were worried about residents parking on the streets.
The developers plan to have 1.7 parking spots per unit. There would be a combination of one, two and three bedroom units.
Damien Dmitruk, an engineer at Coneco, stated that they hope to keep 1.7 spots per unit by potentially adding some compact car spots and making the spots smaller to accommodate more landscaping.
The Zoning Board was considering adding a condition that “No Parking” signs be posted on surrounding streets, but as these are already in the plans, it would be unnecessary.
Lincoln agreed to the extension also so that the engineers and the Department of Public Works can continue studying the impacts the development would have on the sewer system.
The current plan is to have a pump station on the property that would be pumped to a gravity center, which would then be transferred to a town pump station. However, Public Works needs more information on the pump model to study the impacts.
There would be a condition that the developer would pay for a part of any necessary sewer upgrades, but they cannot get a number until the study is finished.
The Zoning Board plans to go over the drafted conditions at the next meeting on July 9. After this, if another extension is not granted, the board will have 40 days to make a decision on whether to approve the project or not.
