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Somersworth commission refers Northeast Landcare wetland-buffer permit to planning board with conditions
Summary
The Somersworth Conservation Commission voted to refer Northeast Landcare’s conditional use permit for a retail facility at Willand Drive to the planning board, recommending corrections to a zoning note, permanent roofs over salt storage bins, and a locking dumpster.
The Somersworth Conservation Commission voted to refer Northeast Landcare’s conditional use permit application for a retail facility and site improvements on Willand Drive to the planning board, recommending the application be approved with specific conditions including correcting a mislabeled zoning reference, installing permanent roofs over two salt-storage bins and adding a locking mechanism to the on-site dumpster.
The action came after Tri Tech Engineering project engineer Rob Stull described what he called “a minor modification” to an earlier conditional use permit for the site, saying the new plan adds roughly 500 square feet of pavement and raises impervious cover in the woodland buffer from “about 21%… up to 23 at this point.” Stull told the commission the project’s net additional disturbance is “about 300 square feet.”
The commission’s discussion focused on handling of salt storage and potential runoff. Stull said the applicant proposes two covered bins for salt stored outside the 100-foot buffer and is “agreeable to add a… wood frame roof” in lieu of a temporary cover. He also described a raised concrete pad — “probably easier to do a concrete pad” — elevated “3 or 4 inches from the pavement grade” so runoff “doesn’t… commingl[e] with the salt.” Commission members asked whether fertilizers or pesticides would be stored; Stull said, “No. No fertilizer.”
Members also questioned how runoff would be detained without curbing; Stull said runoff is collected in a swale and that the salt storage area would be raised so runoff would be diverted away from the bins. The plan calls for gates at entryways and a locking dumpster; Stull confirmed the dumpster “can be locked.” He said the bioretention area will receive a special planting mix and the disturbed non‑impervious strip will be loamed and seeded with a wetland-appropriate mix.
Commissioner comments noted a reference on the plan (note 11) to the “Dover zoning ordinance,” which the commission requested be corrected to Somersworth regulations. The motion forwarded the application to the planning board “with a recommendation to accept” and listed the conditions: correction of note 11 to reflect Somersworth regulations, permanent roofs over the salt bins, and a locking mechanism on the dumpster. The motion passed on a voice vote; members responded “Aye.” The minutes do not record individual roll-call votes or a tally.
The application files referenced by the applicant included assessor map notations shown during the meeting (transcript references: “Assessor's Map 40 3 Lot 1I CUP 2 20 20 5” and a later recitation of “Assessor's map 43 Lot 11 CEP number 02Dash2025”); the commission asked staff to correct the plan note that cited Dover rather than Somersworth.
The referral means the planning board will review the conditional use permit and the commission’s recommended conditions; the commission did not itself grant or deny the CUP. The commission discussion also touched on prior interest in the parcel from a different user (Central Fence) and staff-level review (TRC/SRTC) that recommended permanent roofs over the salt bins.
Meeting audio and transcript excerpts supporting this article include the commission’s introduction of the CUP, the applicant presentation, technical questions about the salt bins and runoff, and the motion and voice vote to refer the application to the planning board with conditions.
