FARMINGTON — Planning Board members gave approval Monday to Brookside Village pending an agreement on a monitoring well being reached within the next 30 days between developers and the town’s water department, the Farmington Village Corporation.

The board unanimously approved the project’s site review and soil/erosion storm water management applications and with a vote of 4-2 approved the subdivision application pending the agreement.

Chairman Clayton King and Lloyd Smith voted against the motion based on previous issues with approvals given and conditions not met before work started. Members Tom Eastler, Donna Tracy, Timothy Hardy and Gloria McGraw voted for the motion.

A letter submitted by the water department to the town’s code enforcement officer stating an agreement has been reached is expected. If an agreement is not reached before the board’s next meeting, the board will have to vote on the project again with or without the water department’s approval.

Brookside Village is a proposed 32-unit apartment building for low income elderly housing with construction planned on the site of the former dowel mill on Fairbanks Road.

When property abutter Brad Smith raised concerns about use of a pond on the property as a wet pond — a method of treating surface runoff water — because it lies within the town’s wellhead protection zone, the board and water department waited on a Department of Environmental Protection report.

The assessors of the Farmington Village Corporation initially withheld their full support of the project because the application only referred to the project being within the wellhead protection area and the pond plan meeting the “general standards” for storm water management but not the higher standard the town ordinance requires for any subdivision.

The DEP report approved the project but raised the question of installation of a monitoring well to test for meeting drinking water standards at the property line, explained Tom Greer of Pinkham and Greer Consulting Engineers for developers William Marceau and Bryon Davis.

Greer suggested that a monitoring well, an expensive installation and maintenance item, could be required of every subdivision approved by the local board.

James Andrews, speaking on behalf of the Village Corporation assessors, thought they would be willing to talk and reach an agreement. He didn’t see the potential for every development in town but for major developments within the wellhead protection zone in order to catch any contamination before it gets to the wellhead. It needs to be a higher standard but it’s not something that can’t be worked out, Andrews told the board.

Board member Thomas Eastler questioned the need for test wells unless there was a catastrophe.

“I don’t see significant risk and they (DEP) don’t,” he said.

Smith brought other questions and materials before the board Monday including the question of whether a second public hearing was required. The board unanimously agreed there was no need for another hearing.

Smith questioned why the town’s application for a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant from Housing Urban Development failed to mention the project falls within the town’s wellhead protection zone.

Town Manager Richard Davis explained the scope of the application, approved by selectmen and voters at town meeting, doesn’t delve into that level of detail. Steve Kaiser, code enforcement officer, said the second phase of the application requires more detail.

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