The Manchester Conservation Commission on June 26 recommended that the Planning Board approve a proposal to merge two lots at 145 Garvin Avenue and subdivide them into three lots, with the condition that placards marking the wetlands boundary be installed.

The recommendation followed a presentation by John Wickert of Wickert Land Surveying on behalf of Davis Road LLC. Wickert described the application as a merger of two existing lots and a subsequent subdivision into three lots in the R1A zoning district and said the applicant does not propose any encroachment into the wetland buffer. "We don't propose any encroachment into the wetland buffer," Wickert said, noting the delineated wetland flags along the Coleman Avenue side of the property.

Commissioners pressed the applicant for details on the wetland edge and buffer distances and asked that placards marking the wetland boundary be placed on the site so future owners will be aware of the buffer. The commission added a condition to its recommendation that placards be installed “every 50 feet or where appropriate for a small lot,” and the commission voted to send a favorable recommendation to the Planning Board with that condition.

Wickert said the three proposed lots would measure roughly 13,247 square feet (left lot that will retain an existing two‑family building, to be converted to a single family), 9,072 square feet (middle lot), and 6,542–7,252 square feet (right lot; transcript lists both 6,542 and 7,252 in places). He listed variances requested and noted the existing two‑family residence would be retained on the left lot. He described variances from sections cited in the application packet for minimum lot area, lot frontage/width, side yard setbacks and floor‑area ratio for the retained building.

Commission discussion focused on the wetland flags (the wetland scientist’s field flags), buffer widths, and the risk that future owners might locate outbuildings or sheds inside setbacks or buffer areas. Commissioners asked for standard placarding language and recommended at least two placards where a lot span is short. The applicant offered to install placards and to coordinate on wording; the commission made placard installation a condition of its recommendation to the Planning Board.

The motion to recommend approval with the wetlands‑placard condition passed unanimously. The commission did not adopt final subdivision approval—its action is a recommendation to the Planning Board; Planning Board review and any permitting or variance approvals remain separate processes.

The commission also noted that the delineated wetland flags shown on the plan are based on field survey flags and that aerial maps or GIS wetland layers can be slightly out of date; commissioners repeatedly urged reliance on the field delineation.

The commission’s recommendation includes the placard condition and a note that no wetland buffer encroachment relief has been granted by the Conservation Commission.

Votes at a glance: the commission voted to recommend approval to the Planning Board with the condition that wetlands placards be placed at approximately 50‑foot intervals or where appropriate. The vote passed unanimously (tally recorded as unanimous at the meeting).