The property was the homestead where a woman was shot.
By Samantha C. DePoy
Staff Writer

FARMINGTON – The new owners of the Osborne farm want to turn it into 20 house lots.

They’ll bring their plans for the site before the Farmington Planning Board Monday night.

Scott and Thomas Dillion of Anson will seek permission to divide the land on both sides of Osborne Road into more than 20 parcels to be sold individually.

The land was the site of the Osborne family homestead, where last July, Janette Osborne was shot once in the chest while hanging clothes.

Accused in the shooting was her son, 22-year-old Joshua, who had allegedly been promised the farm by his late father, Oliver. Janette later told Joshua she was selling the farm.

Janette survived the shooting and, while Joshua was in jail, sold the farm and the land to the Dillions. They had all the buildings torn down in September.

According to Steve Kaiser, Farmington’s code enforcement officer, the Dillions have filed an application, in which they propose two subdivisions: East Grand View Estates and West Grand View Estates.

Kaiser said the Dillions propose to subdivide the property on the eastern side of the road into 10 lots of roughly two acres and one 18.5 acre lot. The west side would feature six lots of approximately two acres and four lots of 10 acres or more.

The owners also plan to retain a 13.25 acre lot on the west side.

The west side is mostly fields, while the east side is woody, Kaiser said.

Kaiser said the owners hope to sell the parcels as house lots. All lots would have to be accessed by driveways from Osborne Road.

Kaiser also said he doesn’t think the Planning Board will make a final decision on the proposal Monday night. “The board has never approved a new subdivision without at least two meetings,” he said.

The board will most likely just make sure all the necessary information is in the application, and then open it up for discussion at a later meeting. There is a good chance the plan will have a public hearing, Kaiser added.

In January, both Joshua Osborne and his girlfriend at the time, Donna Enman, were sentenced to two years in prison after agreeing to a plea deal.

In exchange for the state dropping an attempted murder charge, Osborne pleaded guilty to criminal solicitation to commit murder, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and tampering with a witness.

The state dropped one attempted murder charge and one of two hindering apprehension or prosecution charge against Enman in exchange for her pleading guilty to one hindering charge for helping hide the guns used in the July shooting.

The planning board meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 9, in the basement of the Farmington Town Office.

sdepoy@sunjournal.com

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