At the Barrington Planning Board meeting on January 3, 2013, the Board voted to conduct a “pre-application” conference with the East Bay Community Development Corporation (EBCDC) on January 15, 2013 at 7:00 p.m. in the Barrington library.

The conference is required by Town Ordinance as a preliminary step to submission of an application for a Comprehensive Permit for any developer of a prospective major subdivision such as the one proposed by EBCDC on the Sowams Nursery property located on Sowams Road.

Board Chair Michael McCormick ruled that the January 15 meeting would be open to the public and that questions would be allowed.  This is a departure from the historic practice of conducting these meetings in private, and a positive response to urging by the Community Opposed to Development (COD 02806) to promote transparency throughout the application process.

COD 02806 had previously submitted to EBCDC a series of questions almost none of which were addressed by EBCDC at their “informational” meeting on November 27, 2012  due to time constraints. The Planning Board has been copied on these questions, and more questions will be presented to them prior to the January 15 conference with EBCDC.

As you may already know more than 500 residents of the Hampden Meadows community have signed a petition opposing the Sowams development.

Community residents are urged to attend the January 15 meeting to both learn about the issues involved, and ask questions they consider important not only for  themselves but for the Barrington community as a whole.  We will publish a completed list of questions proposed prior to the January 15 meeting.

Community Opposed to Development (COD 02806), Barrington