Hensdale Club Old South Road

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names and details may be misheard.

What: first hearing on a private recreation and wellness club on about 10 leased acres at 60, 62 and 64 Old South Road, needing a Major Commercial Development special permit, associated special permits and site plan review. The club name is spelled Hensdale and Hensale in the captions.
Where it stands: introduced 2026-10-19; the board authorized staff to arrange a peer traffic review and continued the hearing to 2026-11-16.
Next: applicant to return with changes to the east buffer, lighting and traffic; a joint Select Board and Planning and Economic Development Commission meeting on traffic modeling is expected December 7.

Applicant: Scout Island Club LLC; principal Alan Warden; ground lease from the Valero family, who keep about 2 acres.
Architect Andrew Kotchin; engineer Don Bracken; traffic consultant Kirsten Braun; attorney Sarah (surname not captioned).
Up to 580 peak-season memberships and 150 peak-season employees; 11 cottages, six staff housing buildings (about 72 bedrooms, 142 staff), clubhouse, wellness pavilions, two pools, 4 tennis, 4 pickleball and 4 padel courts, a greenhouse and an eight-stall barn.
175 parking spaces; ground cover 13.1 percent and open space 45.4 percent (20 percent required).
Sewer estimated at 35,000 to 40,000 gallons a day, connecting to a nearby pump station if the sewer department agrees; 22 separate stormwater systems; site is in the groundwater recharge overlay and partly in priority habitat.
Community benefits offered: year-round teacher cottages, a fellows program, donated greenhouse food, a possible winter program.

The study counted 10 intersections and compared the Westmore Club; it estimates roughly a 10 percent rise in Old South Road traffic.
Member Borgerson said 10 percent at the peak hour on a full road is a lot, and listed delivery and service trucks.
A town transportation official (Mike, surname not captioned) said this stretch is on the high injury network, wants fewer driveways, and suggested one-way entrance and exit driveways; a peer reviewer is needed.
Staff discussed a possible Milestone connector road and a Tacoma connector, being modeled now, with an applicant contribution to be discussed.
Several speakers called Old South Road already unbearable; the chair of a neighboring organization's trustees supported the project as the best outcome for the parcel.

Goldfinch Drive abutters asked for more than a 10 ft buffer (the applicant is widening it from 5 ft), preservation of mature trees, lower lighting and possibly moving parking.
Concerns about the barn: too little turnout space for eight horses, trail use on land bank paths, veterinary access.
Brian Sullivan and Member Borgerson noted the loss of commercial land.
A resident asked about year-round local memberships; the applicant said a winter program is still under consideration.
The applicant said the agricultural tax status will be withdrawn with back taxes owed, and a town right of first refusal will not be triggered.

Several members called the plan attractive and less intense than what the CN zoning allows (Nat described not having a full commercial buildout as a community benefit).
Motion to authorize staff to arrange the peer traffic review approved 5-0; continued to 2026-11-16 on a motion by Brian, 5-0.

About 88 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-19 - Planning Board	88

2026-10-19 - Planning Board — First hearing: full presentation, traffic and neighbor discussion; peer traffic review authorized; continued to 2026-11-16.