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Conservation commission backs minor wetland amendment for Eastpointe Boulevard redesign, cites landscaping and culvert design
Summary
The commission recommended approval of an amendment that increases permitted wetland fill at one previously authorized stream crossing from 1,328 to 1,604 square feet to accommodate a wider, landscaped boulevard-style access road for a proposed dealership and future industrial access off Eastpointe Drive.
The Bedford Conservation Commission on May 27 recommended that the Planning Board and state permitting authorities move forward with an amendment to an existing NHDES wetlands permit to increase the permitted fill at one stream crossing from 1,328 square feet to 1,604 square feet for an access-road redesign on parcels at Eastpointe Drive and South River Road.
Representatives for Group 1 Automotive described the change as a response to planning-board direction and truck-turning constraints: Shane Oates of Independence Engineering explained the revised design calls for two 14-foot travel lanes separated by a 9-foot landscaped median and placed turning templates on the plan to accommodate large delivery vehicles. “The previously approved roadway... couldn't accommodate 18 wheeler trucks,” he said, which is one reason the crossing footprint increased.
Commissioners discussed the corridor-level design, stormwater and buffers, lighting, and wildlife passage. The applicants emphasized vegetated medians, staging of development (the boulevard is being extended only to the approved northern parcel in the near term), and drainage design that includes two small infiltration basins and riparian buffer avoidance. Oates said the plans show the riparian buffer and the 50-foot stream buffer and noted that the team had designed drainage to treat runoff at the roadway scale.
On wildlife, commissioners asked whether the culvert would permit animal passage; the engineering team said culvert sizing follows drainage calculations and that the culvert is at-grade with the stream. Commissioners suggested design choices to improve migration and asked the applicant to consider measures to help turtles and other small animals use the crossing rather than cross the roadway.
Lighting and operations were discussed: applicants said dealership and boulevard lights are aimed downward, LED, and on timers to reduce nighttime spill; dealership lighting will remain for security but applicants said levels will be reduced after hours.
A motion to recommend approval of the amendment (increase to 1,604 square feet at Impact Location No. 1) was moved by Bill Carter and seconded by Erin Crowley; the commission voted in favor and the chair declared the motion carried. The applicants will carry the commission's advisory notes into forthcoming Planning Board materials and final state permit amendments.
