The Town Hall hearing room was packed on Monday night with opponents of a proposed expansion of the Landers Farm in Cedarville, but no public comment was taken at the Zoning Board of Appeals meeting. Instead, further review of the controversial earth removal project was postponed until March 3.
“I know it’s frustrating to have to come back,” ZBA Chair Michael Main told the audience. “We need more information and there could be substantial changes to this project. I want everyone to be aware of the changes and have their chance to be heard.”
The Landers cranberry farm off Hedges Pond Road covers 129.91 acres, which includes 17.2 acres of cranberry bogs. After the proposed expansion, the farm would have 26.43 acres of bogs and a new six-acre water reservoir. But the idea that removing 2 million cubic yards of earth and disturbing 70 percent of the site for a modest expansion of bog area is questioned by many as a thinly veiled pretense to mine valuable sand.
The town hired Apex, a private engineering firm, to review the Landers proposal and recommend changes that would lessen the environmental impact of the project. The four-page report from Apex was received on Dec. 16, with 23 specific comments about compliance with local, state and federal regulations along with technical revisions that could change the way water is managed on the site and potentially reduce the earth removal needed.
At the meeting Monday night, both the Landers team and ZBA members said they needed more time to evaluate the Apex report before continuing the public process.
In addition to responding to the recommendations in the Apex report, the ZBA asked Landers to conduct a traffic study evaluating the impact truck traffic would have in that area and submit an economic analysis of the value of growing cranberries on the site compared with the market value of 2 million cubic yards of sand and gravel so they can assess whether the earth removal is “incidental or subordinate” to the agricultural use of the land.
On Dec. 4 the Planning Board held a public hearing on the project and advised the ZBA to reject the proposal as submitted.
Michael Cohen can be reached at michael@plymouthindependent.org.