New Board Members Disclose Donations from Developers

Two newly elected members of the Planning Board revealed Thursday night they received campaign donations from representatives of a development team proposing a controversial subdivision on Nixon Road.

Lew Colten said his campaign received a donation from property owner Paul Croft. He said he disclosed the donation to the Town Clerk and later returned the contribution. “I will not recuse myself,” Colten said. 

Kathy Vassar, a Town Meeting member in Precinct 1, said disclosure forms show that donation was for $500. She said it was made eight days after filing the definitive plan for Ford's Hill Estates, a proposed 8-lot subdivision on Nixon Road.

Victor Ortiz----said his campaign received a $150 contribution from George Connors, the owner of Connorstone Engineering, which is designing Ford’s Hill Estates. Ortiz said he too formally disclosed the donation "from someone I don't even know" and was told by town counsel there was no conflict of interest and that he could continue to hear the case.

However, later in the meeting, Ortiz said he would delay asking any questions about the project until he had a chance to confer again with town counsel.

The questions arose as the board opened a public hearing on Ford's Hill Estates.

More than 30 neighbors and abutters packed the Memorial Building hearing room to capacity, raising questions about the project's impact on wetlands, water wells and traffic.

The project seeks to develop a hilly parcel where for several years Nexum Group attempted to permit a subdivision with more homes. The Planning Board rejected that project, and its denial was upheld on multiple appeals.

Mimi Younkins of 39 Nixon Rd. read a letter to the board signed by more than 160 residents, laying out concerns about damage from the project to nearby wetlands and existing drinking water wells, as well as concerns about traffic on the narrow, winding roads in the area.

“Whatever development occurs at this site should be reason enough to consider and implement means of slowing traffic in this region,” the letter read in part.

Mark Hermand of Nixon Road also said that road is “already overburdened” by traffic. “Adding more houses and cars is going to be a hardship for us,” he said.

Another concern of neighbors is whether the proposed project will, eventually, be part of larger subdivision that connects Nixon Road to Wayside Inn Road.

“The neighbors want to know and this board needs to know” if the project is part of a larger development, said Planning Board Chairman Christine Long.

Connors said there are no current plans for the road to be continued, but said discussions have been had with abutting property owners about possible future developments.