Alton Planning Board schedules site visit, hears hours of public concern on Prospect Mountain subdivision

John Cronin, representative for the applicant, told the Alton Planning Board on March 18 that the team had submitted a drone video and supporting materials for Case P25-01, a proposed subdivision that the agenda lists as 18 residential lots. The board agreed to a site visit and to accept additional written responses before taking further action.

The board’s decision to visit the property followed a lengthy presentation by Cronin and others for the applicant and an extended period of public comment. Cronin said the applicant had provided a drone video and that "it's up to the board whether or not you wanna vote to do a sidewalk, do just a sidewalk, do both, or just do the video," noting Town Council had recommended a physical site visit. The board voted to hold a site inspection on April 3 at 10 a.m.

Why it matters: The parcel drains to West Alton Brook and ultimately to Lake Winnipesaukee, and abutters said changes on the steep site could affect water quality, lakeshore views and property values. Because the project involves wetlands, town-engineer review and state Alteration-of-Terrain (AOT) testing were discussed as conditions for later approvals.

Public commenters said the development could have regional impacts. Richard Casale, an abutter, said for the record that he and his wife have "invested millions of dollars in our property" and asked the board to weigh impacts on property values and view corridors. Valerie Tarbell, who lives across Cherry Valley Road, described the brook below the site and said, "That brook goes I listen to that brook every night, and it's running fast right now," urging care around stormwater and wetlands. Several speakers also said logging activity and an unpermitted road cut on the parcel had already changed runoff patterns.

Board and staff questions focused on access, stormwater controls, fire protection, and wetlands buffers. Jeremy Martin, a builder on the project, described the cleared route the board would walk and said the main cleared four‑wheel trail "is the only place that we'd be walking if we did a sidewalk." The applicant's engineer described erosion controls planned during construction: phased clearing in roughly two‑acre increments, sediment fences and silt socks, and a construction entrance to limit tracking on Cherry Valley Road. The applicant said additional AOT testing would be done and that the town engineer would perform construction inspections.

Fire protection and water supply also drew questions. A board member asked that cistern locations and a formal maintenance plan be added to the record, noting that unmaintained cisterns are a common local weakness. The applicant agreed to move cisterns or revise access if required and to add maintenance language.

What the board decided: The Planning Board voted to conduct an on-site inspection of Case P25-01 on April 3 at 10 a.m., opened the hearing to public comment, and continued detailed site‑work review and any final action to its next regular meeting. Several conditions and outstanding items (AOT testing, wetland buffer responses, cistern access and formal erosion-control language) were noted as required before approval.

Next steps: The board will inspect the site on April 3, receive any additional written responses from the applicant (including revisions that address the Winnipesaukee-area wetland comments and AOT testing), and take the application up again at its next meeting. The matter remains under review; no final subdivision approval was granted March 18.