Abutters had concerns Monday night about a proposed housing development on 60 acres in Buxton.
The Buxton Planning Board got its first look at the subdivision plan at a meeting Monday night.
An engineer for Norman and Stephanie Russell presented a preliminary sketch plan for a subdivision on their property on Mary Jane Road. The proposal would require building a road to serve the homes.
The cluster development proposal would have 11 three-acre lots with the remaining land in the nearly 60-acre parcel to be common land. Board member Cullen Ryan applauded the common land concept.
The proposed development site has land in village, rural and residential zones. Board member Sue Schaller wanted to know how much land of the site was located in each zone, but many details weren’t available in the preliminary presentation this week.
An abutter, Brent Havu, a spokesman for several of his family members at the meeting, had questions about the mix of the three zones in the proposal. Havu’s family owns a large tract next to the proposal.
Representing the eighth generation on the property, Havu said they have cattle, along with several other enterprises, including a body shop, a junkyard, sawmill, excavation and a firewood business.
Havu said he’s not against his neighbors, but he is worried about the impact of the development on his family’s property and their uses of it. Havu said he’s trying “to preserve heritage.”
Another resident also voiced concerns. Lenora Robey of Mary Jane Road said her home has an artesian well and worried about her water supply. She wondered what impact the proposed development would have on the water table.
Jeremiah Ross, vice chairman of the Planning Board, said he would check into it. It was unknown Monday whether the project was above an aquifer.
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