Et al:
This looks likes the BIG ONE.
All hands on deck! (In red if possible!)
I have a business engagement on Monday and will be late to the party. See if you can keep it going past 8:00 p.m.!
Regards,
Jack
Town of Londonderry Planning Board
AGENDA
January 30, 2012
Special MeetingI. Call To Order
II. Administrative Board Work
A. Non-Public Session per RSA 91-A:2(b) Consultation with Legal Counsel
B. Woodmont Commons PUD Review Services – Sub-Committee recommendation to the Planning Board for the 3rd Party Review Consultant Selection and Price Proposal Opening [Tabled from the January 19, 2012 Special Planning Board Meeting to a future date.]
III. New Plans
A. Pillsbury Realty Development, LLC, Map 10, Lots 15, 23, 29C-2A, 29C-2B, 41, 41-1, 41-2, 42, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 52, 54-1, 58, 59, and 62 – Application Acceptance and Public hearing for formal review of the Woodmont Commons Planned Unit Development (PUD) Master Plan [Tabled from the December 14, 2011 Planning Board Meeting.]
IV. Other Business
V. Adjournment
“Jack Falvey Et al:” provides a hometown analysis of Woodmont Commons. Since attending the design charrette offered by the developers of the project Jack has been asking questions, you too have been asking questions, many to Jack himself. He has provided thoughtful analysis from his point of view and shared it back to the questioner and a growing list of Londonderry residents wanting of more information.
As they become available we will provide these questions to our readers and the search engines. We hope to provide a broader view of the project through the eyes of someone that came to town in the 1960′s. Jack raised a family here, volunteered in local government and founded his company “Making the Numbers” after a career at Gillette. As a motivational speaker and a prolific writer with major media outlets his views on the project may take you by surprise!
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The sky is falling, the sky is falling! Wow, a bit over the top Jack.
171 signatures out of 25,000? H’mmm
Go away Marty.
Posting the agenda to a meeting is over the top?
Marty, Considering how many people directly abut Woodmont, and will be affected the most with this developement, I would say 171 is a lot of signatures. Woodmont is much closer to home for me, but I would bet someone in the southern or western part of town doesn’t really care. Take a few mins some day, and drive up Gary Drive, to Kitt Lane, and then down Spring. On a nice spring / summer / fall day, you’ll see young kids learning to ride bikes, elderly people out for a walk, and teens tossing around a football in the street. It is very quiet, which is why we moved here. Then imagine Kim Lane and Spring Street being extended in the Woodmont developement, as both are planned. And if 4A goes in, Spring Street will become the new Route 102 for commuters coming into town. Is the sky falling? You becha, if you live on Kitt Lane, or the other connecting roads. How close do you live Marty? How will you be directly affected? I have no issues with Woodmont being developed, but two things have to be discussed. How will this effect existing neighborhoods like mine ( and other direct abuters ), and how will this effect town services, including who will pay for those added services. Be honest Marty, how far away from this monster do you live?
If you search on Google you will find the Marty does not live near Woodmont. In fact, he lives very close to me (off High Range, behind the high school).
I signed also and I don’t live close by. But I do drive through that section of town quite often and know people that live nearby. I am concerned about the impact that it’s going to make on the infrastructure of this town.
I have been waiting for Marty to respond, but maybe he just hasn’t had the time to drive through my neighborhood yet. Come on by Marty. We’ll take a walk up Kitt lane and I’ll show you where the new roads will be so you can try and visualize how my area will be forever changed.
Sorry I was busy at town meeting, Planning board meeting on who the 3r party reviewer will be.
As far as where I live, I have said that many times at various town meetings. (Off High Range Rd) Yes about four miles from Woodmont commons.
I also have said many times and at many meetings many of these developments will not affect me.
The one that would WorkForce Housing, I spoke out on asking for smaller apartments. I couldn’t do anything about place these in AR-1′s, that was the state doings.
Question, when apple operations ceased at Woodmont, what did you think was going to happen? (The land would go to conservation??)
I would be more than happy to meet you and walk where this will happen.
Marty, expecting Woodmont to be developed is not the issue. We all expected it. What we did not expect was for a corrupt developer (yes, he has a bad rep in the area) to come in and force a high density (city) development on to the town. The et al group is not opposed to developing Woodmont. What we are opposed to is the high density that will bring in thousands of new people, thousands of new cars, thousands of shoppers and a burden on the infrastructure of town.
I must also say that you are nieve if you think that Woodmont will not affect you.
Well the NIMBY’s have spoken. Now everyone fall in line.
Ari Pollack Woodmont’s lawyer is in the Unionleader’s Best under Forty. He is also a Tim Tebow fan; says he is magical. I hope your plan includes more than wearing red.
Ken, Just letting you know, I don’t live near there but I signed. I lived thru it and wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy. It is what everyone looses sight of. My once quiet Cul de sac neighborhood was “torpedoed” by development. Years of heavy trucks up and down the street all day, 6 days week. Then increased traffic. Development doesn’t care who’s property it devalues, who’s life it disturbs. I have often wondered why don’t people care about the quality of life of others.
Thanks for the support. Let’s hope our elected officials really spend time reviewing the questions submitted, and try and do something to protect existing neighborhoods, and the additional costs of town services.
Steve couldn’t you say that of any development in town. I remember when Anthony DR. was a dead end. Now it goes all the way thru to Wiley Hill with several side roads. Many of the sub-divisions in town where built in phases. Turning quiet streets into thruways but the future develpment of your area should have been explained by the real estate agent. When I bought my house they explained how big the whole sub-division was going to be, the waste oil plume from the old town garage etc. I knew planes where flying overhead. I accepted all this. And I don’t complain about any of this.
You could use the same arguements ten, twenty years ago by the poeple living in town? I am happy that the townspeople where open to this type of housing arrangemnt. But times do change, how can we say no to others who want to follow us?? You have your little piece of heaven and no one else gets a chance?
Marty, I expected Woodmont to be developed before they stopped farming. I felt it was inevitable. What I didn’t expect was a down town like Portsmouth, big brick apartments, 3,000 new people, and my quiet area ruined. There is no need to push through Spring and Kim. There is no need to push through into other neighborhoods.
The problem Marty is that the Woodmont housing project was not on the horizon when most of the people in the area moved in.
It’s fine that a developer wants to put in some homes. But does it have to be THIS! It’s obvious to me that you have not done your research on the realities of high density housing projects.
The owners of the land have the right to do with it what they please. As long as they are following the laws why should landowners have to clear what they want to do with their land when it would benefit the town as a whole (yes, it would). I submit that if those around the development aren’t happy then they should exercise their right to move.
The owners do not have the right to do with the land as they please. As you eluded, there are laws in place that protect land owners from greedy developers from being overrun. Unfortunately, the rules put in place by the leaders of Londonderry have stomped directly on the feet of the taxpayers and landowners in town and given a greedy, corrupt developer the leg up on the long term citizens of this town.
Telling people that don’t like it to move is asinine. What you are saying is that the last person in makes the rules and screw everyone else.
Martin, In my case I was told it was protected wet lands all the way to Litchfield. Perhaps it was? I think your argument is weak. If the Town wants to share in the devaluation, then fine. But to allow it with no responsibility is just wrong. And that’s what we are talking about here responsibility. I can tell you I recently had my house valued / inspected. I viewed a line item for -5% for “living on a busy street”. Who’s going to compensate me for this? When they Developer built nothing but McMansions, (I didn’t see any Ranch’s, Splits etc.) I was told don’t worry they will increase the value of your home. My reply: OK, then the reverse must be true in a down market? I guess I simply need to give the developer a call and ask for compensation? I not calling developers the root of all evil or saying they helped cause this problem; but they certainly aren’t any friend to an existing homeowner!
ken I am still interested in taking that walk. Give me a time this weekend or next and we will walk the area.
Mac, Londonderry still has about 2,000 1-acre lots left in town. If these were developed they would have more of an impact on the town than concentrating the housing and cars along I-93. I suggest you read the Open Space Task Force report. And your right Woodmont Commons will affect me maybe not as bad as it may you but it will have an impact on town services.
I have read the questions that were submitted by et al, many had to do with site plans which could not be answered at this time because we don’t know what each site plan will contain yet.
Anyway, does anyone else want to meet on the weekend to walk the area as Ken suggests and we can discussion all the implications? If you do e-mail me.
How about 10 Sat morning? I live at 19 Kitt. Sunday AM would work for me as well.
Marty, I live very close to you (on the opposite side of High Range) so we will probably be equally affected.
You cannot compare the impact of one acre lots to Woodmont simply because Woodmont does not have to live by that rule. They will be building at a rate of 6 home units per acre. Although they have quoted 1300 units as a number the wording leaves them the option to expand the number as the development progresses. for example, the hospital they are proposing is questionable at best. If the state says no to it will they decide to add more housing? Not to mention the additional impact the other features of the mini-city will have (hotels, shopping, business park, etc.). Besides, how many of these so called 2000 lots are actually buildable? How many are stand alone lots vs subdivisions? How quickly can these pieces of property actually be built up within current building regulations in town?
And let me play devil advocate for a moment… What if Woodmont is in full scale production and the market takes a turn up and other developers jump on board with the PUD method. Will these 2000 acre lots now become 12000 homes instead of 2000 homes? Will this now add even more of burden on Londonderry than originally thought because Woodmont is only a piece of the pie? Will homeowners in town try to get their 1 and 2 acre lots expanded to meet the same rules that Woodmont lives by, thus subdividing these lots into smaller lots even further expanding the problem?
I see Woodmont as the first step of a slippery slope. I know some people will poo-poo that notion. But I have seen it happen first hand in other towns/cities and it’s not pretty.
wow, the sky is turely falling. OMG. This is just a scare tactic ! And YES POO-POO.
Doug you have proven over and over that you are uninformed. You obviously do not understand the concept of devils advocate. Of course, you have bought the lies of the developer and the architect hook line and sinker. You are exactly the kind of easily manipulated person they prey on.
LOL, as I said you are using scare tactics. Most people that care either way, will not even see the full impact of the Woodmont Project in the 20 years it will take to build. Uninformed, okay Mac. The thing is it won’t be up to you, your 177 signatures or me to decide this thing. The Town Staff, Planning Board, with help from the 3rd Party that was hired, it’s their job. I know something will be built at Woodmont. I think it will be more than just 630, one acre lot homes.
Ok, I will be over Sat at 10 am. I drive a black caravan.
Sounds like a date…….
See you then.
Ken/Martin, would you mind if I joined you. I live at 21 Kitt lane?
No problem here. Glad to have another opinion.
Thank you all who came. As I walked the neighorhood I thought to myself what if I lived there? I would be as upset as the neighborhood is and will be.
Thanks to Ken who pointed out the “paper streets” and the potential they hold. Thanks also to Jack and his explanation of the development world.
So now its onto Feb.16th PB meeting over the acceptance of PUD-MP.
I know its difficult to attend these meetings when you have kids at home, but will need neighborhood at this meeting and future meetings to voice their desire over what kind of zoning will be acceptable.
And I thank you for taking the time to see first hand how Woodmont will effect existing neighborhoods. I would hope that the elected and appointed officials in Londonderry would take the time to do the same. Driving through without talking to the people living there will not give them the full story of the impact this developement will have on neighborhoods, as each area will have different concerns. If any officials in town are following this thread, or even Woodmont representatives, I would be happy to walk my neighborhood with them to discuss our concerns, and what I feel the impact would be.