Bartlett Road subdivisions secure preliminary approval
DEVELOPMENTS
BY PETER B. BRACE INDEPENDENT WRITER
Two of the last few undeveloped lots along Bartlett Road have had preliminary plans approved by the Planning Board.

White Whale Lane, on two lots at 35 Bartlett road and 72 Cato Lane, received unanimous preliminary plan approval at the board's Feb. 25 meeting, along with high marks from Planning Board members for its five-lot subdivision proposal.

"Overall, from the plans I've seen for the last 10 years, it's a well thought out, simple plan," said Planning Board Chairman Frank Spriggs.

Although the subdivision totals 11 lots (with 10 of them buildable) on the 2.98-acre property in the Residential-10 district, developer White Whale Lane, LLC wants to develop just five at this point. Two dwellings on each lot will be accessed by a 200-foot long, 20-footwide road running into the property off Cato Lane and ending in a cul-de-sac. The lots will be tied into town water and sewer, and the developer is asking for sidewalk and bike path waivers. Planning Board member Nat Lowell said the board should at least try to get some sort of pedestrian path in there. Alternate Planning Board member Diane Coombs asked that they put catch basins into Cato Lane to dry out the northern part of the road.

Farther west, at 54 Bartlett Road, developer Donald E. Dimock secured the board's 5-0 approval for a preliminary plan for nine 5,000-square-foot buildable lots on 2.73 acres of land. The lots will need their own septic systems, but will tie into town water. Dimock's engineer, Donald F. Bracken of Bracken Engineering of Buzzards Bay, could not say whether his client will build secondary dwellings on h lots or not, but the board hopes he will not, given that he is planning septic systems.

"We haven't talked about how many dwellings, maybe on the end lot you might get two dwellings," said Bracken.

Planning Board member Barry Rector asked if there could be a pedestrian connection between the southern end of the development and the Land Bank's Miacomet Pond Trail property that abuts it. He also brought up the severe ponding that happens during rain events on Bartlett Road near the proposed entrance to the development.

"I think there may be some drainage issues you may be wanting to look at because this is a really bad flood area," he said.

Spriggs added that Somerset Road developer Bill Cassidy had already put some drainage structures into this part of the road as part of his development but that more needs to be done.

"I agree with Barry, going to Marble Way, that one has been taken care of by one of the other developers, but coming back the other way, getting drainage in might help the situation," said Spriggs.

As both approved plans allow seven months for the developers to submit definitive, formal plans, what the Planning Board has approved to date is open to change. Neither developer indicated when

final plans will be submitted. I