Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Published: 3/17/2021 3:55:58 PM
The proposed 26-home subdivision on the former site of the Walden Eco Village in Peterborough was met with a considerable amount of public opposition at a Planning Board meeting on Monday. It was the first opportunity for public comment on the formal proposal.
Applicant Akhil Garland first described his plan to subdivide the Walden Eco Village in July 2020, at which point 25 tenants were renting the seven cottages and nine tiny houses, or casitas, on site. The 52-acre property is accessed via Garland Way off Middle Hancock Road in Peterborough’s rural district. The project’s application process led town staff to discover that 15 structures on the property lacked required permits, including all the casitas. Town officials observed hazardous electrical and gas configurations during a December site visit associated with the application, which caused the town to evict the site’s 25 tenants on Dec. 16. A class-action lawsuit between Garland and 13 former tenants is ongoing.