Report on all-boards meeting
The board welcomed Leo Blair as an associate member. Blair and planner Joe Sudol then reported on their attendance at an all-boards meeting at which developer Carter Scott presented conceptual plans for 24 housing units on Stow Road under the state’s affordable-housing law, Chapter 40B. Both Blair and Sudol were primarily concerned by the septic capacity of the site, which had proven inadequate in percolation tests done over the years. Sudol had visited the developer’s 40B housing project in Townsend, which is under construction with six of the planned 41 homes built.
Driveway change approved
Paul Kavanaugh of Framingham asked the board to modify the special permit he had been granted for a driveway on Stow Road. Enlarged house plans meant the driveway had to be moved and extended. The board approved the modification.
ZBA requests review
The Zoning Board of Appeals had asked the Planning Board to review a renovation plan for the Hastings home at 110 Warren Avenue to enlarge the house and build a new garage. Concern about nearby wetlands led the planners to ask the owners for an existing-conditions plan, so they and the ZBA could compare it to the to-be-built plan.
Grants for house rehabilitations
Planner Kara Minar reported on grants that could be used to rehabilitate Harvard homes, if the occupants met state income qualifications. Such homes would then be classified as “affordable.” In 2005, Harvard gained seven affordable units this way. This year, a communication gap between Harvard officials and the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission left Harvard out of the block grant. Harvard will apply for the next available grant in January 2008. Another state grant may also be available to rehabilitate the Hildreth House, Minar said.
