The Falmouth Town Council appears to have taken a favorable position on the proposed contract zone that would allow David Chase, of Chase Excavating, and Town Councilor Andrea Ferrante and her husband, Matthew, to build 48 apartments and 103 single-family homes on 52 acres off Mountain Road.
Although the Planning Board voted to issue a positive recommendation to the council, most of the board members voiced concerns about the effect on the already crowded schools, water quality and town resources, as well as the increased traffic, none of which has been adequately addressed.
The trip generation calculation completed by the engineering firm Sebago Technics concluded that because of the significant increase in traffic, the development will require a state traffic movement permit. The developers suggest waiting to obtain it, essentially arguing that a thorough traffic analysis should be done after the project has begun.
The school impact determination is also problematic. They propose building at least 151 residential units and claim this will result in only 70 more students in Falmouth schools. Their proposed contract only restricts seven of the 103 house lots and five of the 48 multi-units to individuals 55 years and older, so their assumption that the number of students per household will be 0.46 is preposterous.
Furthermore, although they are only including four multi-unit buildings (with 12 units each) in this proposal, the proposed contract would impose no limit on the number of 12-unit buildings in the contract zone. Falmouth schools, all of which are almost at capacity, cannot absorb this sudden influx of new students.
Before approving the contract zone, the Town Council must find, among other things, that it provides a “public benefit that would not exist under the current zoning.” This cannot be found. Rather, this plan is a land grab that will benefit a few individuals while putting strain on the town and its current residents.
Amy Robidas
Falmouth
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