The Somersworth Planning Board approved a site plan amendment and a conditional use permit for Northeast Landcare LLC to build a 5,600‑square‑foot commercial service facility on Willan Drive, authorizing increased pavement and grading impacts to the woodland buffer subject to conditions recommended by the Conservation Commission and staff.
Tri Tech Engineering’s Bob Stoll presented the amendment; the project is a revised version of a previously approved plan for the same lot, and the board accepted the application as complete after a favorable third‑party drainage review that arrived the afternoon of the meeting. The Conservation Commission recommended approval pending conditions that the applicant provide a locked dumpster, a roof over the on‑site salt‑storage bins and a correction to a site‑plan labeling item. Planning staff incorporated those conditions into the approval.
Staff also required that outstanding comments from the third‑party drainage review (Horsey Witten) be addressed to the satisfaction of the Planning Director, that final plans bear the stamp of licensed professionals and that federal and state permits be obtained prior to the plan signature. The board added a Traffic Safety Committee recommendation that streetlighting on the Willan Drive/Commercial Drive cul‑de‑sac be evaluated and, if needed, installed at the developer’s expense to improve nighttime safety and pedestrian access near the winter warming shelter.
Director Mears noted code and safety requirements for on‑site fuel storage: on‑site fuel storage must comply with NFPA 1 and NFPA 101 (current editions) and any additional state or local permitting must be obtained before installation. A copy of a stormwater management and maintenance agreement signed by the property owner must be provided prior to final approval. The board voted to approve the conditional use permit following a motion by Jeremy Rhodes and second by Chris Horton.