Hire independent consultants to perform analyses of BLASTING, FLOODING, FIRE SAFETY and TRAFFIC

The Town of Brookline, on behalf of the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Brookline Board of Selectmen, should obtain an independent analysis of the impact of blasting at Hancock Village for the proposed expansion, as well as independent analyses on flooding, fire safety and traffic. Brookline residents who lived 8 blocks from the location of the former Atrium Mall believe that the blasting done to build that site may have resulted in damage to their foundations. Since the proposed building on the CHR property will require excavation two floors underground to enable the building of the garage and a multi-story building over a 500 foot long expanse, tons of puddingstone and ledge must be blasted and removed. No comprehensive analysis of the potential harm to neighboring properties and our old gas and water lines has yet been done. Nonetheless, when a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals questioned the engineering firm that peer-reviewed the building of the 7 story building whether the blasting will be “bearable” for the neighbors, the response was that “it will not be impossible” but that it will be “difficult.” Please join our efforts to petition the town to conduct these independent analyses. Petition to obtain Neutral High-Quality Independent Analysis 40B Proposal to Expand Hancock Village Chestnut Hill Realty’s proposal for expansion of Hancock Village includes the construction of a 140 unit, 7-story apartment building and replacing the green belt from the VFW Parkway to Baker School with roads, parking, and 9 buildings containing 42 units. The apartment building is 500 feet – almost two football fields –in length, and 7 floors tall. The number of units exceeds the total number of homes between Independence Drive and the VFW on Bonad, Russett, Asheville, and Grassmere Roads and South Street. BLASTING: To construct the building, tons of puddingstone and ledge must be blasted and removed, with unknown impact on neighboring homes and infrastructure, including aging gas and water lines. The impact has not been evaluated. When asked by the Town’s Zoning Board of Appeals whether the blasting will be “bearable” for the neighbors, BETA Group, Inc., the peer reviewer of Chestnut Hill Realty’s consultant, noted that it will be “difficult” but “not impossible,” and yet no analysis was done beyond a cursory assessment. FLOODING: Beta Group noted the poor soil quality and poor water absorption on the green belt, but it was neighborhood residents, including a certified engineer, who found many of the faults in the way that the CHR analysis of flooding potential was carried out (e.g., only one boring carried out on one of the coldest days of the year). TRAFFIC: The majority of the new units will have only one primary egress, which is onto Russett Road via Asheville Road, both narrow local roads. Even though the number of units is more than 3 times the number of all the homes on Russett Road, the traffic impact did not concern CHR’s traffic consultant. FIRE SAFETY: The Town's Fire Chief expressed concerns to the ZBA about the inadequacy of the proposed development's roadways to maneuver fire apparatus and also noted that the addition of so many new units "outside a recommended maximum response time is inconsistent with public safety." We are aware that, because of CHR’s influence as a major developer in the State and in Rhode Island, it was difficult to locate engineering firms that were willing to be peer reviewers of this project. We are also aware that if CHR’s analyses and peer reviews left questions unaddressed or inadequately addressed that independent analyses would be obtained by the Town. THEREFORE, we, as the neighbors of this proposed development, who will suffer any of the negative consequences of blasting, potential flooding, including structural damage to our homes, fire safety risk and increased traffic, ask the Town to hire high quality independent consultants whose analyses and judgments will not be influenced by concern for loss of business, to carry out neutral analyses of these issues. If the only way to obtain such consultants is to hire from out-of-state, then we encourage the Town to do so.