Planning Board Sets $55,000 Bond, Releases Deer Run Lot Toward Street Acceptance

WEST NEWBURY -- February 18, 2025, West Newbury Planning Board sets $55,000 performance bond for Deer Run Place subdivision and advances MBTA zoning outreach plan. The board, meeting without Chair Ann E. Bardeen and presided over by Clerk Raymond A. Cook, voted 4-0 on four successive motions covering the security amount, a March 1, 2026 construction completion date, authorization for Cook to sign the performance guarantee, and release of lot two from its covenant, with the Form J release held until developer Mike Crow delivers funds to the town treasurer. Board member Brian R. Murphey asked staff to notify DPW head Butch Hills about Crow's plan to pave in April, since Major Boyd Drive is slated for acceptance at the fall 2025 special town meeting. The board also approved a two-track strategy for MBTA zoning outreach, an email version of a community flyer to go to town boards before the March 18 public hearing, and a revised mailer, with the hearing reference stripped out, to reach households before community forums now set for April 28 and 29 in the regional school gymnasium.