Alton planning board denies request to remove drainage‑study condition after contested Prospect Mountain subdivision review

The Alton Planning Board on Aug. 19 denied an applicant’s request to remove a condition that requires a drainage study and plan for a previously approved minor subdivision, concluding the material submitted to date did not meet the board’s original intent for a professional drainage study.

The July–January approval for the two‑lot subdivision (case P2502) included a condition that “before a building permit is issued, a drainage study and plan be completed.” The applicant sought to remove that condition by asking the board to accept a drainage plan and accompanying report prepared by Fraggle Rock Environmental and other consultants. After a lengthy public discussion, the board voted to deny the request to remove the condition and left the original drainage‑study requirement in place.

Fab, a builder representing Bethel Builders and speaking for the applicant, told the board his team had commissioned a licensed wetland scientist and stormwater specialist to prepare a five‑page report and plans. Fab said he had already made physical improvements — deepening and stone‑lining a roadside ditch, installing an 18‑inch culvert at his driveway and removing a small beaver dam — at significant cost, and that his neighbor…