RACHEL RAVINA/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
Troy Purnell, land owner and town councilman, demonstrates where his planned unit development would be modified within Purnell Crossing during a Berlin Planning Commission meeting last Wednesday. The commission unanimously approved the modification.
By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer
(July 18, 2019) A modification to a planned unit development within a proposed project received unanimous approval from the Berlin Planning Commission during a meeting last Wednesday.
Troy Purnell, land owner and town councilman, asked to “modify single-family homes” on a portion of the land. He added he hoped to reduce the 30 approved lots to 22 parcels.
“The biggest difference is the lots are all larger,” Purnell said.
As a condition of a separate project within Purnell Crossing’s approval last month, Purnell agreed to lower two apartment buildings on the planned unit development to three stories.
Commission member Pete Cosby also asked Purnell include a pedestrian and bicycle easement in the final plan.
“We’ve always talked it, not a problem, but start showing it,” Cosby said.
As for the timeline, Purnell said he plans to start construction of the single-family homes within the next one-and-a-half to two months.
Cosby moved to approve the mod- ification, which Planning Commission member Phyllis Purnell seconded.
While Planning Commission member Barb Stack voted to modify the planned unit development, she had serious reservations about the entity as a whole.
“Personally, I am not happy with them because there’s a situation where we got into last month where I feel like people that have bought early into the development had bought with an idea of what was going to happen in the future, and then it changed drastically,” she said.
Stack also referred to a planned unit development as a “moving target,” that could possibly hinder the town.
Other members, such as Ron Cascio, said the body has considered two prior planned unit developments and understood her concerns.
“I get what you’re saying,” Cascio said. The problem is it’s a give and take, and all too often, there’s too much take and not enough give.”
In reference to the aforementioned project, it initially planned to have a 100-unit assisted living facility and 19 new townhomes, with the townhomes then becoming a part of the Purnell Crossing association.
But then five new rental apartment buildings were proposed in April, which included one 30-unit building and four 24-unit buildings.
The site plan proposed on June 12 would included two three-story apartment buildings with 60 units, 36 two- story townhomes and three garages with 15 spaces total.
“The apartment buildings could have been for sale,” Commission member John Barrett said.
The project also spurred debates between the homeowners, land and project developers, as well as members of Berlin’s Planning Commission.
“To what extent are we going to keep the definition of a town here without merging into Salisbury?” Cosby asked.
However, Barrett also said they needed to be realistic about having different forms of housing.
“Apartments aren’t terrible, guys,” Barrett said.
Cosby also stressed the importance of keeping the identity of Berlin intact.
“When you come to Berlin, you know you’re getting a town,” Cosby said.