PROSPECT — The Planning and Zoning Commission will consider new regulations for construction of subdivisions at a public hearing in March.
The new regulations would require more checkpoints during a developer’s project to ensure each stage of development is built to town specifications, according to Land Use Inspector William Donovan.
The more intensive inspection schedules are in response to state legislation that went into effect in October, which allows developers to wait until the project is nearly complete to post a bond.
“It’s primarily to protect the town against developers,” Donovan said.
The changes in Public Act 11-79 greatly reduce the developer’s financial burden to begin a project, but also put towns at risk if the project isn’t carried through property, according to Donovan.
Before the new legislation went into effect, a developer had to post a bond before beginning construction. If the developer didn’t follow through with the plans and abandoned a half-finished road, town could tap into the bond to finish the work and secure the area.
“If there’s a problem on the site or the developer abandons the work, the town is left with an unfinished site and no means to get financial relief from the developer,” Donovan said.
The legislation also specifies that towns may not hold a maintenance bond after the town accepts improvements, which means towns must be extra diligent to make sure all the improvements are proper before accepting a new road.
The hearing on Prospect’s proposed regulations is March 7 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall.
