The Town of Blackstone Planning Board reopened discussion of the 142 Blackstone project and voted to notify the developer, Ahmed, about drainage concerns and to continue the matter to the February meeting with the developer asked to attend via Zoom.

Carlene Elwin, who identified herself as a resident at 148 Blackstone Street, told the board she began getting water in her cellar floor “a month and a half and then a couple weeks ago, all of a sudden water on my cellar floor.” Elwin said a plumber found no leaking pipes and that water was soaking into wall board and under the cellar stairs.

Elwin told the board she has called town offices several times and visited the town office in person; she said she believes changes on the adjacent solar farm have redirected water and that a detention basin behind her property now showed remnants of standing water.

Planning Board members inspected the record and discussed whether engineering review by the board’s consultant, Tetra Tech, was required. The board’s chair said the matter would be referred to the developer and the developer’s engineer for review and asked staff to notify Ahmed and his engineer. The board voted to notify Ahmed of the complaint at 148 Blackstone and to require Ahmed’s presence at the February meeting; the motion passed on a roll call with Owen, Kirk, Joe Bellrose and the chair recorded as yes.

The board also agreed to monitor the site and for board staff to be available to meet the resident during a storm to document flooding; members suggested calling emergency services to pump basements if water threatens appliances. The board directed staff to e-mail the developer’s engineer about the complaint and to ask Ahmed to appear at the February meeting.

Earlier in the meeting the board had briefly tabled the 142 Blackstone matter because Ahmed did not appear by Zoom; members later moved to reopen so residents could speak.

The board did not adopt a final technical finding at the meeting and did not direct Tetra Tech to perform immediate analysis; members said they would monitor conditions and, if necessary, request the consultant investigate further.