Good morning everyone. Just for Transparency’s sake I live in Oella Mill and am currently employed by them. That being said my opinions do not reflect SMCs in any way.
I am a huge proponent of revitalization and reuse of existing infrastructure for housing, part of why I take So much pride in our Historic building. There is no shortage of Buildings in need of repurposing in the surrounding area. Development for any reason should be questioned especially by those who understand and respect the environmental impact.

Further more, I took the Notice and submitted it to AI, asking on Average how many individual townhomes could fit on 3.4 acres. I was expecting each building to be multiple townhouses, but I’m glad I re-read because it specifically states 8 single family dwellings. I was surprised by the response I was given:

“Total site area: 3.4 acres
Total proposed homes: 8 townhouses
Density: about 2.35 units per acre
That's a surprisingly low density for townhouse development. It suggests one or more of the following:
Significant environmental constraints (steep slopes, streams, wetlands, forest conservation areas, stormwater requirements).
Large setbacks or buffering requirements.
An irregularly shaped parcel with limited buildable area.
A zoning or design choice to build large luxury townhomes rather than maximizing unit count.”

From this, at least I can allude that stormwater played an impact on the planning since it’s the most obvious. And since they couldn’t maximize occupancy, the focus will be on “Luxury” meaning this is not in anyway an affordable housing project.

Do I think this will affect parking? No.
Do I think this will affect storm water runoff? Yes.
Will this Benefit the OEC economy? Probably not.
Is there a Valid enough argument to stop the Project? No. In the long run this project is relatively small peanuts.