GREENWOOD – A proposed subdivision on South Pond has some people concerned about ridgeline development and the pond’s future.

Gordon and Matthew Brown have submitted a preliminary application to build a 12-lot subdivision on the eastern side of South Pond, between the railroad and Acorn Drive. A public hearing on the proposal will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday at the town office.

According to the property description, the subdivision would take up 31.7 acres and its lots would range in size from .92 acres to 4.19 acres. The lots would be accessed from a 780-foot road centered in a right-of-way off Acorn Drive in Woodstock. Residents of the new subdivision would be required to join the adjoining Oak Hill subdivision road association.

Town Manager Kim Sparks said the Browns have not said where they intend to place the building lots, and that some residents have expressed concern that lots will be developed on the slope of Oak Hill.

David Brainard, vice-chairman of the Planning Board, said the development would likely take place below the steeper grades of the hill.

“The most logical building sites would be above the shoulder as it rises from the pond,” Brainard said.

Corrinne Hammond, an abutting landowner, said she has been trying to inform property owners on the pond about the proposal.

“We are concerned because this is the only part left that is undeveloped on the lake,” she said.

Hammond said the subdivision will affect wildlife habitat, including that of a bald eagle spotted at the pond, and could negatively affect the pond’s water quality. Hammond said she is also concerned that lots could be developed on the slope of Oak Hill.

Sparks said a separate town hearing will be held at 7 p.m. on Feb. 23 to discuss a land management standards ordinance, which includes ridgeline protection standards. The hearing will also discuss updated shoreland zoning and floodplain management ordinances.

Brainard said a ridgeline is defined by slopes in two directions, and that the slope in proposed subdivision only goes in one direction.

“The fact is there is not a ridgeline in that subdivision,” he said.

Gordon Brown was unavailable for comment on Thursday.