Essex Planning Board Continues Bell Point Subdivision Hearing Toward June 9 Deadline

ESSEX -- May 6, 2026, Essex Planning Board advances first-ever OSRD subdivision toward a June 9 decision deadline. The board unanimously continued its public hearing, now on its fifth continuation since March 4, on the Bell Point LLC application for a 36-lot open space residential development at Zero Essex Park Road and Zero Pond Street Rear, after reviewing a 43-page peer report from Weston and Sampson engineers. Peer reviewer Jesse Johnson said the applicant "did check all the boxes" on special permit conditions, while flagging stormwater basin constructability and soil characterization requirements as items likely to need design revisions. Developer Dan Gorman, joining remotely, told the board that the positions of the lots, the road, and the six proposed public parking spaces "cannot move at this point", shutting down board member Matt Greco's push to relocate trailhead parking closer to the development entrance for better public visibility. The board reached consensus that entrance signage with a trail map will be required as a decision condition and that open space management, whether by a conservation organization, the Essex County Greenbelt, or the homeowner association, will be addressed explicitly in the final approval, with Planning Board sign-off required under Section 6-8.9 of the OSRD bylaw. The Conservation Commission is scheduled to open its own hearing on the subdivision's roadway and utility components on May 12; the Planning Board's next session is May 20.