Planning Board Continues to Digest Old Billerica Road Residential Plan

May 12, 2022

The Planning Board this week continued its preliminary discussion of a proposed residential development at a former horse farm on Old Billerica Road.

The board requested additional information on plans for possible affordable units, as well as road access, and the proximity to open space

Atty. Pamela Brown presented on behalf of the property’s owners, Cynthia First and Ali Khaledi. The address for new construction is 251A and 251F Old Billerica Road, formerly the site of a house and a horse barn. The five-acre site abuts conservation land on the south side.

Also part of the development plan is the contiguous property at 229 Old Billerica Road. That is the address of the Michael Bacon House, built in 1663 and believed to be the oldest house in Bedford. Brown highlighted the fact that the house would also be restored and preserved.

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The proposal, under consideration for more than a year, would consolidate the three parcels into a single cottage-style development with the retention of significant open space.

Current plans are for 13 units, including existing houses at 251A and 229, although up to 17 units could be the outcome if a few units are affordable housing. The development would include townhouse-style duplex homes with the remaining units designated single-family cottage-style homes.

The Bacon House would need to be “relocated slightly” in order to allow for a new roadway to provide secondary access, Brown said. The roadway would connect to the existing driveway at 251A Old Billerica Road and provide emergency vehicle access.

Unit sizes have been proposed to be between 1,800 square feet and 2,680 square feet. Efforts have been made to ensure compliance with conservation regulations given the development’s proximity to conservation land. Developer First confirmed that the units would be capable of supporting solar paneling.

Board member Amy Lloyd noted that the existing proposal appears to be “car-centric.” She also strongly recommended restricting access to the existing driveway to emergency vehicles only, and requested that the design map be updated to match the town’s Geographic Information Systems.

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