By DAN TOMASELLO

LYNNFIELD — Tensions between the Planning Board and an upper Main Street developer are simmering.

The Planning Board has been frustrated with the lack of progress being made on the Sagamore Place subdivision located on upper Main Street for the past eight months. Hannah’s View Estates, LLC owner David Deloury purchased Sagamore Place from former developer Angus Bruce in June 2020 after Bruce’s company, Brookstone Development, went into foreclosure. The subdivision includes four lots on Sagamore Place while the fifth lot is located off upper Main Street.

After a group of homeowners urged the Planning Board in late January to take Hannah’s View Estates’ bond, the Planning Board decided to create a warrant article for Spring Town Meeting to get Deloury to finish the subdivision’s work sooner than later. Spring Town Meeting approved Article 15, which gave the Planning Board the authority to take and appropriate the $167,372 private bond to allow the town to finish the subdivision’s work.

In the wake of the Planning Board’s decision to create Article 15, Deloury pledged to finish most of the subdivision’s work by this spring. He, homeowners and the Planning Board agreed to have the street’s final paving be done by August.

Deloury Construction General Manager Chris Ryder was supposed to give an update about the work being done on the subdivision at the Planning Board’s July 27 meeting, but he did not attend.

Planning and Conservation Director Emilie Cademartori said Town Engineer Patrick McAlpine has been visiting the subdivision each week.

“The town engineer is still not happy,” said Cademartori. “He is disappointed that the sidewalks and handicap ramps have not been completed as well as the crosswalk on Main Street.”

Planning Board Chair Brian Charville asked what additional work has not been completed.

Cademartori said Deloury purchased trees that were supposed to be planted to May, but that has yet to occur. As a result, she said the soonest that the trees could be planted is September because temperatures will be cooler.

In response to a question from Cademartori, 6 Sagamore Pl. resident Dr. Peter Prokopis said the subdivision’s permanent and temporary streetlights don’t work.

Cademartori said the development team informed her that the Reading Municipal Light Department was having problems with getting a meter to run the permanent lights.

“I don’t know if there is any truth to that,” said Cademartori.

“But the temporary lights should be working.”

Cademartori said loam planted on the street’s shoulders has to be replanted because it “did not take.” She also said the sediment forebay has to be redone, and road silt accumulated in a retention basin has to be cleaned out so it will function properly.

“The catch basins have to be cleaned out and erosion control has to be done,” added Cademartori. “The final paving also has to be done.”

Planning Board member Ed Champy said there are drainage issues that have to be addressed as well.

Dr. Prokopis recalled that Cademartori had to ask Deloury to have trash picked up at the subdivision because it was piling up due to not being collected. He said the developer left a communal dumpster for residents to dispose their trash. Dr. Prokopis also put a small red dumpster that he is renting on his property so that he and his wife, Claudine, could prepare to move into their new home.

Cademartori said two residents are living at Sagamore Place, and Dr. Prokopis and his wife moved into their new home late last week. She asked Deloury to have trash collected from the communal dumpster weekly instead of bi-weekly.

“It wasn’t even getting picked up on the two-week schedule, so I asked that the contract be modified so it can be picked up weekly,” said Cademartori.

Dr. Prokopis said Deloury “won’t do anything” unless town officials force him to do something.

“He is not a developer,” said Dr. Prokopis. “He doesn’t care about anything. He has zero pride in it. He wants to appease the Planning Board, get out and get his bond back. That is all he cares about. Nothing gets done unless Emilie sends him an email. Nothing has been done since May. It’s just lip service.”

Dr. Prokopis urged the Planning Board to take the bond.

“I would have kicked him out yesterday,” said Dr. Prokopis. “I don’t care if it takes the town two years to finish the subdivision. I am so sick and tired of dealing with all of this stuff. They haven’t shown they are afraid of the Planning Board, and they haven’t shown that they care about everything that has happened.”

Charville was livid at the lack of progress being done on the Sagamore Place subdivision. He asked Cademartori and Town Engineer Patrick McAlpine to send Deloury an email outlining the work that has to be done by the Planning Board’s next meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 31.

“If the things Emilie and the town engineer told him to get done are not done by Aug. 31, we are going to vote on taking the bond,” said Charville. “They are not doing what they said they were going to do. If I was Dave Deloury and I had that much money at risk, I would be having daily meetings and would be asking about the work that has been done. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.”

Planning Board member Page Wilkins said the subdivision’s final paving has to be done in accordance with what was previously approved unless an agreement that satisfies the homeowners is crafted.

“It needs to be done by the end of August,” said Wilkins.

Champy was also frustrated by the lack of progress on the Sagamore Place subdivision.

“All of this is disappointing,” said Champy. “It’s time to wrap it up.”