ENFIELD — Abutters have filed an appeal of the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s approval of an access road for a proposed 300-unit townhouse and apartment project off Route 4, which would be the largest in town.

Trae and Gwyn Dessert filed a “motion for rehearing” addressed to board members on Dec. 11 in response to the board’s November decision to allow an access road to cross two wetlands to get to Laramie Farms, the housing project proposed to sit near downtown Enfield.

As proposed, the project would include about 80 townhouses and more than 200 one- and two-bedroom apartments. John Dibitteto, of Maple Street-Enfield Acquisition LLC, based in Bradford, Mass., and Stephen Doherty, of DC Development and Construction, based in Sandown, N.H., are partnering for the project, which has been in the works for a couple years. In May, board members approved a variance that will allow the developers to construct more than one building per primary lot and another variance that will allow them to exceed the town’s 35-foot building height limit.

In their appeal, the Desserts argue that the wetlands the developers have proposed to fill will impact abutters’ homes, as well as the town’s water tower. The water tower is located off an access road that the developers plan on expanding to get to the housing development.

“More information regarding the impact to the water tower land if the wetlands there are disturbed should have been requested prior to any decision being made considering the potential devastating impact on the town if the land around the water tower fails,” the Desserts, who live on C-More Farm Drive, wrote in their appeal of the board’s Nov. 12 decision.

Reached by email, Gwyn Dessert declined to comment. Residents repeatedly spoken out against the project at public meetings, in part, because they say the size of it is not a good fit for the town of Enfield.

The Desserts’ appeal is the second to be filed by abutters over the project. Linda Jones and Alv Elvestad, who live on Route 4, sued the ZBA this summer after it approved a variance to allow the developers to exceed the town’s 35-foot building height limit. The board authorized the developer to construct buildings that are up to 75-feet tall.

The Desserts’ cited the pending court case in their appeal.

“During the hearing, the Zoning Board failed to question the differences between the application and the presentation at the hearing, didn’t recognize the pending court case in the variance request decision, and neglected to address concerns raised,” the couple wrote in their appeal.

Town officials didn’t feel that the pending lawsuit should be a factor in considering the developers’ request for the wetlands crossing.

“We didn’t feel it was necessary to hold up one for the other,” Rob Taylor, Enfield’s land use and community development administrator, said in a phone interview. “Each hearing and application stands on its own, that’s the way I would look at it.”

Jones and Elvestad’s lawsuit is currently under review by the Hillsborough County Superior Court, Northern District Land Use Review Docket.

“We’re hopeful that we’ll see a decision from them in the next month or so,” Taylor said.

Taylor stood by the board’s decision.

“I have no reason to believe anything the ZBA did was wrong,” he said.

The Zoning Board will decide whether or not to reconsider their decision on the access road at its Wednesday, Jan. 14 meeting, Taylor said. If the board decides to revisit its decision, it would do so during its February meeting.

If the board decides to reconsider, “there would be another opportunity for people to have comment,” Taylor said. If the board rejects the Desserts’ request, it would be up to them to appeal it to the Superior Court or New Hampshire Housing Appeals Board.

Liz Sauchelli can be reached at esauchelli@vnews.com or 603-727-3221.