A proposed development on a lot at the corner of Main Street and Route 2 is raising eyebrows among abutters on Orchard Road and Main Street.
The one-acre lot currently has a rundown yellow house that was built in 1960.
At a mid-December 2023 meeting, David Veo of Freedom Development Corporation of Concord said he showed plans to raze the house and build two adjoining duplexes that would appeal to multi-generations.
Each of the duplexes would have primary suites on both floors “to accommodate either a family or empty nester looking for single floor living,” the plan states.
Veo’s narrative says, “the lot is very open and will require a minimum [of] tree removal.”
Veo is seeking a special permit for the two-family dwelling.
But Veo’s plans were lacking in detail, according to Zoning Board of Appeals members who asked him to come back with beefed up drawings for consideration.
In any case, it is the abutters’ belief that many of the trees that now shield their properties from Route 2 and associated highway noise will be adversely affected.
Main Street residents Cecilia and Tony Carr wrote to the board, saying “the intersection of Route 2 and Main Street causes significant noise pollution.”
“We notice a significant increase in the levels of noise pollution as the seasons change and the trees lose their leaves,” they wrote. “I would love to see a tree plan, a landscaping plan and a property maintenance plan for the site,” he said.
Veo pushed back, saying repeatedly that no trees would be removed. He will submit a more fully articulated plan for an upcoming ZBA meeting.
Concord Public Works weighed in with a requirement that water services be replaced, as they were last replaced in 1939, according to CPW records.
