HomeMy WebLinkAbout5193 897 Route 28 Letter of Opposition 35193 - 897 Route 28 - Letter of Opposition RECEIVED
From: Christine Putz OCT 14 2025
Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 2025 12:55 PM YARlAC7lJT?i
BOARD OF APPEALS
To: Fallon, Dolores <dfallon@yarmouth.ma.us>
Subject: Petition #5193 897 Route 28, South Yarmouth, MA
Dear Town of Yarmouth Zoning Board of Appeals,
My name is Christine Putz and I reside at 14 Pine Grove Road. I purchased my home 39 years ago so that
I, just like all my neighbors who have worked very hard to purchase and maintain our properties, may
enjoy the fruits of our labor to retire in a nice, friendly, quiet and safe neighborhood.
As an abutter, my home is directly across the street at the side/back end of the 897 Main Street
property. My privacy would be completely gone as the proposed multistory buildings are being built
close to Pine Grove Road with minimal buffer. Adding multistory buildings would be very intrusive as my
living space is primarily the front of the house facing Pine Grove Road. It would also be intrusive to the
Scales and Moore residences along with others in the neighborhood due to the towering buildings
particularly since the left and back sides of the buildings have more windows than on the right.
While property lighting is supposed to be low impact, it would be invasive and stream directly into my
home as well as those of my neighbors. The same would apply for apartment lighting as well as cars in
and out of the complex. As an aside, in the winter I can see Yarmouth Commons apartment lighting
from my rooms due to the height.
Water runoff is a concern — without the trees that buffer the back part of the property as well as on Pine
Grove Road, there will be additional runoff. My property has a slight dip at the corner of Pine Grove and
Hemlock. The Town had to add an additional layer of asphalt in front of my driveway on Hemlock and a
rim on the corner of Pine Grove and Hemlock due to runoff from a Town project affiliated with the
laundromat in 1994 coming 20 feet into my yard. The Town also added two storm drains by the
laundromat as well as one on Hemlock by my property; however, there are still drainage issues.
Regarding the trees -- On Page 17 of the 897 Route 28 Application Materials 8/25/25 under the "Design
and Construction" bullet point, it states "preserves existing trees" which contradicts the fact that waivers
are being sought for increased front setback and reduce Pine Grove and rear setbacks. Also, in other
parts of the document as well as property layout it discusses/shows landscaping and trees/shrubs to be
used on the perimeter of the complex and the treelines are gone.
Water pressure is another concern as we will be adding 50 to 60 or more people in a concentrated area
utilizing the water at the beginning of the street. This is probably more than all year-round
neighborhood occupants of Pine Grove, Hemlock, Spruce, Evergreen, etc, spread out in a much larger
area. I have already noticed a slight decrease in my outside shower water pressure since the recent pipe
replacement from Rt 28 to Hemlock.
As we all know, automobiles are pollutants particularly if current trees are eliminated. There will be 30
cars in a small space with nothing to absorb the emissions. As stated earlier, the lights of the vehicles
may be invasive. Also, the noise of vehicles coming and going, doors slamming and people gathering
across the street will be extremely distracting all hours of the day and night. Along with the air pollution,
there will be significant noise pollution with 60 plus potential tenants and their guests.
Given the vehicle issue, the entrance/exit to this property should be moved to Route 28 Main
Street. This would eliminate a double bottleneck of vehicles coming/going from the complex on Pine
Grove Road as well as our normal neighborhood traffic on Pine Grove Road all trying to get onto Route
28.
The waiver request for Lot Coverage from a maximum 30-40% to 80-85% is absolutely ludicrous!!! Do
not know how this could be justified in any setting!!
On Page 17 of the 897 Route 28 Application Materials 8/25/25 under "Stormwater and Utilities" bullet
point, it states "A temporary Title 5 sewer system will transition to the Town's sewer system upon
completion". This is an issue for several reasons —
• The purpose of the sewer project is to protect our water
• Addition of a new temporary Title V sewer system could potentially negatively impact our
groundwater as there could be up to 60 plus people occupying these apartments flushing,
washing hands, showering/bathing, washing dishes and laundry.
• Per Millis MA.gov. While this is called a temporary Title V sewer system, it typically includes a
septic tank, distribution box and soil absorption system which are used to separate the solid and
liquid wastes and provide additional treatment before distribution of wastewater to the
environment. So basically it is a septic system and can cause damage to our groundwater.
• This will further add to water runoff as you are now burying the temporary sewer system and
displacing the soil. Even if replacing a current system, this could be larger to accommodate the
complex.
• In addition, landscaping and snow removal products could impact our groundwater.
• This has the potential to exacerbate our neighborhood to unnecessarily have to hook up to the
sewer system sooner than the expected 20-30+ years.
Also, the last paragraph on Page 17 "Project Updates Since Project Eligibility Letter" states "The final
design, completed in June 2025, segments the development into three 52' x 54' three-story modular
buildings ........ This layout aligns buildings along Pine Grove Road." Please note Pine Grove Road and
surrounding neighborhoods are either ranch or cape style houses. -There are no three story homes in
this area!! The biggest outlier is Yarmouth Commons on Route 28.
As an aside, please note that I reviewed all documents pertaining to this project including all
assessments by third parties to make certain I was being as objective as one can be with this project.
According to the Town of Yarmouth website's Zoning Board of Appeals, "The Board of Appeals approval
or special exceptions shall not be granted unless the applicant demonstrates that no undue nuisance,
hazard, or congestion will be created and that there will be no substantial harm to the established or
future character of the neighborhood nor of the town." This application completely contradicts every
one of these attributes!!! The Requested Waivers along with the number of requested waivers alone
should preclude any approval based on the Town's own words above as well as the fact that it is obvious
this property is just not suited for such a project.
In closing, during my career, I told staff that they could always come to me with any issues or problems
but also be prepared to present solutions so —
Scenario 1
Maintain 897 Main Street as a commercial site with current setbacks and buffers as is. There would be
fewer disruptions as businesses open/close specific times and minimal utilization/depletion of Town
resources. We really need a laundromat in Yarmouth. I think we might be the only town on Cape that
doesn't have a laundromat. You have to go to either Hyannis or Dennisport. This would provide revenue
as well as a much needed resource for many people and maintain Route 28 as the commercial corridor it
has been and should continue to be for the success of the Town of Yarmouth and its residents.
Although, I do have to say, I was very pleased when I heard Nantucket Sound purchased this property as I
thought they would either move their store from Hyannis rotary or open another store in South
Yarmouth. Unfortunately, that's not the case. So I am now seeking a laundromat.
Scenario 2
Convert to open space with park including trails, benches and nice landscaping while retaining current
setbacks and buffers. Perhaps even add a small playground in the front by Route 28 and the Bass River
Motel.
Scenario 3 — least favorite and opposed
If you are to approve, suggest 2 buildings with 2 floors with the same perimeter measurements of 52' x
54'. Build closer to Main Street leaving current treeline buffers and setbacks as is along Pine Grove and
the rear of the building.
However, if building apartments on this site according to the project design, then we want wood privacy
fences at least 12 feet high along Pine Grove and Moore residence property line at rear of property. The
Pine Grove side should have some shrubs and landscaping maintained. While I know there are other
man-made products, wood is natural and organic and would be more aesthetically pleasing to those of
us who have to look at it day in/day out. As Mr. Scales is impacted on the Pine Grove side of his
property, I believe he should have a buffer such as fencing with arborvitaes installed on his property
including extending his irrigation system to Pine Grove should this be something he believes would work
for him.
While I try to be very understanding of both sides, this really bothers me because if I wanted city living, I
would live in a city.
Thank you for your time and have a great Cape Cod day!!
Sincerely,
Christine A. Putz