LEOMINSTER — The August 18 Planning Board meeting saw tensions flare as residents who came to oppose a controversial apartment project at 86 Orchard Hill Park Drive were told they could not speak because the applicant had requested a continuance.
The project — a proposed multifamily residential development — was scheduled for discussion, but the developer sent a written request to postpone the hearing until September 15 due to unresolved issues before the Leominster Conservation Commission.
Bill Brady of 214 Harvard Street, then approached the podium and told the board that residents deserved to be heard even if the developer was not present.
“This is an open meeting. According to the open meeting law in Massachusetts, public hearings, not having comments is up to the board’s discretion,” Brady said. “It’s absolutely to your discretion. I think a lot of people spent a lot of time coming here tonight and deserve to be heard.”
Brady’s remarks drew applause from the audience, underscoring the frustration among abutters and community members who have raised concerns about the scale of the Orchard Hill development.
Planning Board Chair John Souza explained that under the board’s long-standing policy, if an applicant requests a continuance and does not attend, public comments are not taken.
“If the applicant is not here and has requested in writing a continuance, we give the applicant that benefit,” Souza said. “He’s not here to defend himself. Just like any court, you’re afforded to listen and defend yourself. It’s not a court and I’m not saying it’s a court, but it’s a matter of issue where information is given and received, and I want it to be received equally for everybody.”
Some residents tried to raise general questions about potential project impacts.
Abutter Kristen Howlet of 33 Sky Lane asked if the board could require “some type of barrier or fence” to shield neighboring properties. Souza acknowledged that similar conditions had been imposed in past projects, citing examples on Bassett Street, Lancaster Street, and near the hospital. However, he stressed that the board could not discuss specifics until the developer appears. “Yes, it can happen,” Souza said. “Will it happen until it comes in and it comes to me? I can’t.”
Souza encouraged residents who cannot attend future hearings to submit written comments. “Anything that comes to us in writing is read at the meeting,” he said.
The public hearing on the Orchard Hill project is now scheduled for September 15 at 6:35 p.m.
