AMESBURY — If it's good enough for Ashland, shouldn't it be good enough for Amesbury?
Not for some Planning Board members.
The proposed condominium development at Bailey's Pond got a mixed reaction from members Monday night during a site plan review.
The designs have yet to be submitted to the town. Instead, the developers came to gauge the members on changes made to the plan from the fall when they last appeared before the Planning Board.
Changes include the layout of the road and reducing the number of buildings with four, two-bedroom-units from 37 to 35.
Don Seaberg of Benchmark Engineering said the design of the buildings are the same that are in several developments in Ashland, as well as one in Salem.
"What I'm talking about is doing some more work on the placement of these units," Planning Board member Karen Solstad said. "Using the topography and natural resources that are inherent in this site — that are really nice — and not doing a cookie-cutter project that could be slapped down next to Lynnway. I'm asking you to try a little harder."
Fafard Real Estate Development is looking to develop the 23-acre property between Interstate 495, Route 150 and the Merrimack River.
A deal between Fafard and the town was first struck in 2003, after the town took the parcel for unpaid taxes. The land was seen as the first step of the town's so-called Terrasphere project, a plan to redevelop 450 acres into homes, new businesses and a golf course.
None of that materialized. Instead, the deal went through years of legal wrangling before a revised deal was approved last year that provided more assurances for the town.
On Monday, the developers, Sean Malone of McFarland Johnson and Seaberg, said they were looking for feedback from the members.
Some feedback included the lack of a community building.
Seaberg said it's a feature at some condominium homeowner associations are getting away from because of the high costs with upkeep of the building.
They pointed to a planned 12-by-18-foot gazebo as a community "building."
If not a building, Planning Board Chair John MacDonald said, why not a community "space" with picnic tables or benches where residents can congregate.
The layout of the building was also a concern, since many of the buildings wouldn't offer a view of Bailey's Pond.
Seaberg pointed out the difficulty of building on the property because the land is "bowl-shaped."
"I'm sorry, but it's impossible for everyone to have a view," Seaberg said.
"Myself and the feeling I get from other members — although I don't want to speak for them — is we're trying to stay away from OK, we did that in Ashland, we're going to basically do the same thing in Amesbury," Planning Board member Ted Semesnyei said. "It feels like it needs to reflect a little bit more of what Amesbury is, specifically this site."
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