Board reviews Pilot Hill Road minor‑subdivision pre‑application; asks for DEM wetlands crossing approval before final

The planning board reviewed a pre‑application Feb. 12 from 1261 Realty Trust for a two‑lot subdivision on Pilot Hill Road that will require a wetlands crossing. Board members generally supported the layout but asked the applicant to secure Department of Environmental Management (DEM) approval for the proposed wetlands crossing before preliminary approval.

The proposal divides an approximate 8.25‑acre parcel into two lots with developable land above the town minimum on each lot. The developer’s plan locates a new street along the southern boundary to provide frontage and to concentrate wetland impacts at the narrowest crossing point where an existing trail already crosses a small stream. The applicant requested that the board consider the subdivision now, noting that any approval should be contingent on subsequent DEM approval of the crossing because the crossing design is costly to prepare.

Board members and staff flagged proximity of the proposed road to wetland and stream buffer setbacks and asked the applicant to confirm infiltration/trench stormwater measures shown on the plan and well/septic setbacks. One member said they preferred a contingency that ties approval to DEM wetland‑crossing authorization; others agreed that evidence of DEM sign‑off would make any later design work less likely to be wasted if the crossing were denied.

The applicant was informed that because the project requires creation of a new street for frontage, it will return to the board for preliminary review after the state wetlands review and after the applicant prepares the crossing design to DEM specifications. The board reached a consensus to proceed with the pre‑application and asked staff to include contingency language requiring DEM approval of the crossing as part of subsequent approvals.