Greene – The town may soon see a new subdivision in the works off North Hatch Hill Road, surrounding a range road that dates back before the 1920s.
“Range roads are the first town roads that were laid out for Greene when settlers came here,” said Don Dostie of Four Points Associations Inc. “Essentially, the town had big subdivision plans made of range lots and range roads.”
The problem presented to selectmen Monday night is what to do with the range road off North Hatch Hill Road that has been abandoned for 57 years. Not passable by car, the old tote road is outlined by two rock walls and leads to a watershed, a very important element of the proposed subdivision, Dostie said.
In the course of proposing a development, an engineer has to look at storm water and the sometimes-tricky permitting process with the Department of Environmental Protection, Dostie said.
“Part of our proposal was to add a culvert where a stream crosses over that old tote road,” he said. “Currently, it blows through that road bit there and essentially there is nothing holding that water back,” allowing erosion to eat away at the road bed.
The access road would lead to a dead end but allow drivers to travel across the culvert to maintain and survey the water flow.
A grade in the road would hold water in place until the culvert could catch up with the overflow. “This would prevent peak flow through the abutters’ property,” Dostie said. “We have been in front of the Planning Board for about eight months and we are looking to make that next move.”
The subdivision falls on a Greene family’s privately owned 50-acre lot, which has been approved by DEP for 11 lots. “The average lot is 2.5 acres and we hope it appeals to those people wanting a private setting,” Dostie said. “We do have some wetlands and streams running through the site. And we have a conservation easement in order to maintain some habitat for the wildlife.”
If the culvert and its access road are not permitted due to abutters’ concerns or any other unknown reason, then a complete restructuring of the subdivision plan would have to occur. The Planning Board is currently working with engineers and using town records to make a decision.
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