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Proposal to replace chicken barn at 1487 Monument St. prompts mitigation and flagging questions; hearing continued
Summary
The Natural Resources Commission continued review of a proposal to replace a chicken barn and build a larger storage building at 1487 Monument Street, asking the applicant to remove debris from the 25-foot buffer, provide a mitigation acreage table and confirm wetland flags.
The Natural Resources Commission heard a presentation for a Notice of Intent at 1487 Monument Street that would remove an existing chicken barn and construct a larger storage/garage-type building largely within the 50-foot buffer. Commissioners asked for clearer calculations of impacts, removal of an on-site debris pile from the 25-foot buffer, and additional mitigation plantings; staff also noted they were only able to confirm one wetland flag in the field and requested full confirmation of the flagged boundary when conditions allow.
Wetland specialist Dave Burke, presenting for the applicant, described the site as a parcel carved from a larger farm with a farmhouse, a barn and an older chicken coop roughly 20-by-40 feet (about 800 square feet). The proposal would remove that chicken barn and build a new 30-by-48-foot storage building (presented area figures included approximately 1,460 square feet) plus a 10-by-30-foot concrete pad at the approach. Burke described the wetland as a wet meadow and intermittent stream; staff reported they had only confirmed one wetland flag during a field visit because of site conditions.
Why it matters: the project would change impervious area and built footprint within regulated buffer zones and requires a clear mitigation strategy to offset increased buffer disturbance.
Key requests from the commission and staff
- Confirm wetland flags in the field and show flagged numbers on the revised plan (staff were able to confirm flag 7 only at the time of review).
- Remove the wood/debris pile currently in the 25-foot zone and note that removal on the plan.
- Provide a mitigation table on the plan that quantifies the areas removed (chicken barn footprint), areas added (proposed building and pad), and the net change so the commission can calculate mitigation requirements. Staff suggested mitigation likely in the form of shrubs or additional plantings; commissioners acknowledged that planting location should fit the site’s existing ecology (open field versus drainage swale) and asked the applicant to propose mitigation locations accordingly.
- Use erosion-control measures during construction and loam-and-seed restored areas after removing the chicken barn.
Procedural status
The applicant (represented by wetland specialist Dave Burke, with the property owner and others present) agreed to provide a mitigation table, revise the plan to show the 25-foot no-disturb zone and debris removal, and to coordinate with staff on a native shrub/tree mitigation plan. The commission set a materials deadline (the Friday before the March 12 meeting) and continued the hearing to March 12, 2025 so staff can review the revised plans and confirm wetland boundaries when field conditions permit.
What the commission did not decide
No final permit or exemption was granted. The commission requested additional documentation and field confirmation before making any permit determination.
