At the York Ridge subdivision in North Yarmouth, residents say there is too much water. Their lawns won’t drain and their basements flood. Abutters of the 13 residential lots have the opposite problem. They worry the addition of more wells in the area has put a strain on accessible groundwater.

Now, the developer of the subdivision wants to build 35 additional residential lots on York Ridge. This week at a public hearing, neighbors and residents of the existing subdivision raised these water concerns, calling on the North Yarmouth Planning Board to reject the second phase of the project off of York Ridge Drive and Gray Road. They said the new lots would face similar flooding issues, and the additional wells could worsen the groundwater scarcity. 

“Water issues have plagued Phase 1 of this development,” said Dana Rodgers, an abutter who lives on North Ridge. “We cannot risk more strain on our water resources.”

The plan for Phase 2 of York Ridge would create 35 additional residential lots, each with its own septic system and a new drilled well. The developer, Construction Aggregate Inc., would build two new residential roads, four soil filter ponds for stormwater control, and leave 22 acres of preserved open space.

The proposed expansion of the subdivision reached public hearing on Sept. 9 after it was approved as a complete application by the Planning Board on June 11. Previously, the Planning Board discussed a sketch plan with the developer and did a site walk over the winter. 

When introducing Phase 2 of the major subdivision last December, project engineer Steve Roberge of  SJR Engineering Inc. said the development of York Ridge Phase 2 would be the same as Phase 1, aside from the setbacks the first project faced several years ago.

Construction Aggregate Inc., is an an arm of A.H. Grover Inc., a family-owned excavation and construction company based in North Yarmouth. It is owned by Ben Grover, who is married to North Yarmouth’s Assistant Manager and Town Clerk Debbie Allen Grover.

North Yarmouth tax records indicate that Grover sold Phase 1 of the subdivision to Graiver Homes Inc. of Falmouth for $1.1 million in 2021.

A public hearing on Sept. 9 about Phase 2 of the York Ridge subdivision with an additional 35 residential lots raised concerns about the shortcomings of the first phase about the project, water management, the developer, and the impacts of expanding North Yarmouth by 35 houses. 

A resident of the first phase of the York Ridge subdivision, Erin, who declined to give her last name for privacy reasons, spoke in public against the expansion of the subdivision. She said her and her neighbors have been left with unresolved water management issues over the last three years, with a quarter of the basements in the neighborhood flooding and standing water in her and her neighbors’ lawns. 

“My neighbors’ yards turn into ponds with every rainstorm,” she said. 

Erin said that Construction Aggregate Inc.’s response has been inconsistent and incomplete, with partial fixes that did not resolve the issues. She called for a peer review of the water management plan for Phase 2, deeming the first phase of the project below acceptable standards. 

In a converse concern about water, abutters of the subdivision said their wells are barely at acceptable levels of pressure. Though this has been the area’s water condition for decades, they are concerned that the wells will dry up permanently if 35 more wells were drilled in the area. 

“My well goes dry constantly. I don’t know what to do if it goes dry and stays dry,” said abutter Jane Van Dyke. 

Van Dyke lives in the area and has dealt with water issues ever since she moved there decades ago and said she has redrilled her well numerous times. Other members of the public said that there have been water issues in the Walnut Hill area for decades and it is well known that the area has scarce groundwater. 

Steve Roberge of SJR Engineering Inc., an engineer on the project, said that they would pre-drill the 35 sites to test whether well water levels are sufficient. If one lot was found to not have enough water for a well, it would be combined with another lot that did have a sufficient well., he said. He did not mention a study of the impact of 35 more wells to wells in the surrounding area, which abutters demanded be conducted.

North Yarmouth’s Land Use Ordinance states that “land use activities must not adversely impact either the quality or quantity of groundwater available to abutting properties or to public water supply systems.” 

Continuing to respond to concerns about well water availability, Roberge said the developers are in discussions with the Yarmouth Water District about connecting the subdivision to public water. In response, members of the public cried out that this unresolved water issue was a sign the project should not be approved at this time. 

North Yarmouth residents also raised concerns about other impacts of the 35 additional units, including the effect of more students in the SAD 51 school system, the increase in traffic, and the impact of the project on taxes. Some said the new lots of subsequent houses would go against North Yarmouth’s rural character, despite the parcel being zoned as village center. Others noted how the developer failed to adequately respond to issues or complete projects in other areas of the town. 

Overall, residents asked the Planning Board to consider the initial York Ridge subdivision and surrounding residents before it approved the subdivision expansion.

“Take care of the problems in Phase 1 before starting Phase 2,” said Lianne Mitchell.

“We’re here for Phase 2. The problems that are happening in Phase 1, I can’t deal with,” later responded Roberge. 

Due to time constraints of board members, the public hearing was paused and scheduled to resume at a Planning Board workshop on Sept. 23.