Wenham Planning Board Deadlocks 2-2 on Spring Hill Farm Road Acceptance

WENHAM — January 30, 2025 — Wenham Planning Board deadlocks on Spring Hill Farm road acceptance and advances state-mandated ADU bylaw. The four-member board — reduced from five after member Peter Clay's announced resignation — split 2-2 twice Thursday on a conditional recommendation to accept Spring Hill Farm Road as a public way, with members Dan Pascarello and David Woodland citing the absence of a formal application, unresolved easement disputes, and the risk of undermining the town's legal position against the developer. "I don't understand how we could recommend something that's not in front of us," Pascarello said. Select Board member Ben Tymon, appearing by Zoom, reported that legal counsel had cleared the way for the Department of Public Works to plow the private road on public safety grounds, with a Select Board vote expected February 4, and that the Select Board had voted to schedule an executive session to explore legal remedies against the developer over an unfulfilled affordable housing condition. The Community Preservation Committee voted the prior night to support a $150,000 grant request from Essex County Habitat for Humanity to fund a third affordable unit at the site. The board voted 4-0 to initiate a state-required accessory dwelling unit bylaw amendment — allowing one ADU by right on every single-family lot — and refer it to the Select Board, with a second public hearing required before the amendment reaches town meeting.