When housing developments—“regular” or “friendly” 40B or “unfriendly” 40B—go through many design iterations with zoning boards, planning boards, conservation commissions, and ad hoc committees, it’s easy to forget what the plan was when they started. We think it’s good to be reminded that the 40B project on Ayer Road started with a plan of 44 housing units, which dropped to 32 units and some commercial space after some negotiations. We applaud the selectmen for working out that reduction. (And we hope for a good grocery store there soon.) We also applaud the residents who are keeping an eye on this and other developments in town to make sure that developers give the town what they promise and abide by whatever restrictions protect the town’s water supply and wetland habitats. We encourage the individuals and boards to whom town residents entrust the town’s future to operate with due diligence to protect that future. In the case of land development, we don’t think “trust, but verify” is the right philosophy. We espouse “trust after trust is earned, and continually verify.”