Whately Housing Committee Launches Engineering Study of Long-Idle State Road Property

WHATELY — May 11, 2026 — Whately Housing Committee advances engineering study of long-dormant 268 State Road parcel. Chris Chamberlain, principal civil engineer at Berkshire Design Group in Northampton, outlined a phased assessment plan at the May 11 committee meeting that includes wetlands delineation by Ward Smith of Wendell Wetlands Service in late May, percolation testing by Alan Weiss of Cold Spring Environmental in late May or early June, and a full topographic survey with field work tentatively set for May 26. Member Fred Orlowski will coordinate use of the town highway department's backhoe and operator with Highway Superintendent Garrett Barry for the percolation work. The committee set check-in meetings for July 13 and August 17, with a draft final report due by August and formal acceptance targeted for September 14. Members said any economically viable affordable housing project on the town-owned site would likely need 30 or more units — a scale requiring a friendly Chapter 40B process — and that the engineering findings will determine whether that path is physically possible given wetlands, floodplain, and septic constraints.