Editor's Note: Paul Austin, president of the Conservation Committee made the comments described in this article as a private citizen and not in his official capacity with the commission. The petition filed with the DEP was initiated by private citizens, not the Conservation Commission, as reported in the print version of this story. It has been corrected here.

By Nate Jones
Staff Writer
    Despite the concerns of several Scarborough residents and the Conservation Commission, the planning board unanimously approved plans for the Eastern Village development. The subdivision will be constructed in the currently undeveloped area south of the Scarborough Fire Station on Oak Hill between Commerce Drive and Old Eastern Road with access onto Black Point Road.
The project outdates most of the current board members, as council chairman Allen Paul pointed out.
“This has been an extremely well developed process. It is different for our town to have a development of this type come to us,” Paul said. “It’s almost a benchmark for future projects as we move on down the road.”
The board’s approval includes many stipulations the developer, Ballantyne Development LLC, must meet during the multi-phase construction of the 154 unit subdivision, including storm water, traffic and sign requirements that have been specified over the course of the project’s evolution through the planning board process.
Perhaps the biggest area of concern expressed by citizens is the effect Eastern Village will have on the Eastern Trail, as the site plan intends to integrate the trail directly into the housing development.
“We want to allow people access to the trail, and for those trail users to come and walk through the neighborhood as well,” said Carey Anderson, Ballantyne spokesman.
Scarborough resident Tom Daley said he had been following the project since it was initially proposed 11 years ago.
“The point of the trail is not to see a development,” Daley said. “I don’t think [Eastern Village] will enhance the trail.”
Daley also said he was concerned about trail users have to cross Black Point Road, where traffic would increase as more families move into Eastern Village.
Paul Austin, president of the Conservation Commission, speaking as a private citizen, said he was not convinced Ballantyne had taken all of the necessary permitting steps with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in their plans for installing a pipe beneath the proposed route for the Eastern Trail, and a petition opposing the plan’s approval had been submitted to the DEP by a group of residents.
“We’re confident we’ve done everything we’ve been asked to do for the two years we’ve been in front of this board. Our DEP permit is very strict,” Anderson said, and referenced a number of instances where third party engineers will be required to approve various stages of the construction.
“I have been in this business since 1986, and never before have I seen this. We are under a microscope on this project,” he said.
Other concerns included the drainage of storm water from the development, as some residents of the Old County neighborhood, which abuts the development’s eastern boundary, said they were already experiencing flooding problems on their property.
“You’re creating a large area of impervious surface, which could add to the rise in the water level and flooding we’ve seen over the past few years,” Ed Caravac said.
A Ballantyne engineer said the storm water issue was addressed in the permitting process with the DEP, as the site plan would direct runoff to the west of the development, away form the current flooding and the Scarborough Marsh.
Other residents spoke in favor of the development, including Charlie Webber, who said he also had been following the project for years. Webber said he had faith in the decisions of the Town Planner Dan Bacon and his staff, who endorsed the project’s approval.
“I urge you to approve this project,” Webber said shortly before the vote.