ESSEX — The initial steps of subdividing Conomo Point south of Robbins Island Road have begun, but the future of the parcels have yet to be determined.
Town officials are waiting for land use recommendations from engineering firm Horsley & Witten Inc. of Sandwich, which was formally hired after special Town Meeting on Nov. 3 appropriated $90,000 for the subdivision project.
Town Administrator Brendhan Zubricki said consultants are gathering needed data and zoning information to create potential use scenarios for the land. He said the company will be surveying the land and gathering information until the end of the year.
Zubricki said the project is at a preliminary stage and town officials have to understand what the consultant is providing before they can comment on the possibilities further.
Selectmen Chairman Ray Randall said town officials are not presuming any certain outcome.
"I think we have to wait and see what they come back with before we would make any response," he said.
This year's annual Town Meeting on May 5 approved the subdivision project.
The project's goal, as stated in the August Request for Proposals, is to develop a subdivision plan for the land that will maximize each lot's area and value for potential sale. It has not been decided if the land will be sold; sale of the land would need to be approved by Town Meeting.
Selectman Mark Lynch, who is also a Conomo Point Planning Committee member, said the consultant will make a recommendation about the best use of the land and create options for comparison to draw conclusions. He said the Horsley & Witten consultants "weren't constrained in any way" as to the scope of the possible scenarios.
Zubricki said the company will prepare three different conceptual site plan options and present them during three public forums, planned for January through mid-March. The forums will include representatives from the appropriate town boards and commissions.
After consultants meet with town officials to select an option, a preliminary plan will be presented to the Planning Board in March with the goal of developing a final plan for presentation at annual Town Meeting on May 4.
Zubricki said it is not a definite that a plan will make an appearance at Town Meeting.
"The timing is such that it will be available for Town Meeting if needed," he said.
Lynch also said it remains to be seen if a plan will make it to the warrant.
"We're waiting to see what the consultants come back with," Lynch said. "At this point we're not saying what we definitively will or won't bring to Town Meeting."
Residents have been leasing parcels of the town-owned Conomo Point for decades, but a Town Meeting vote in 1999 decided the leases would not be renewed when they expire in 2011. Since then, the future of Conomo Point has been the focus of debate.
"Knowing what the final outcome is for Conomo Point is difficult to ascertain," Randall said. "There are multiple variables."
He said many factors need to be "weighed carefully" before a final decision is made, especially the impacts on Conomo Point residents.
"That's as important and strategic and material as any decision that will be made about the land," he said.
Ultimately, he said it is a decision that's up to voters, and it is selectmen's job to guide voters in the decision-making process.
Amanda Flitter may be contacted at gt_reporter@gloucestertimes.com.
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