Applicant proposes gravel parking expansion that would cross wetland in West Swanzey

An applicant described plans to expand a gravel parking area across a mapped wetland near Route 12 in West Swanzey and said the project would include a culvert at the wetland crossing and changes to stormwater grading.

The applicant told meeting participants that the site already has a new fence along a retaining wall to screen an adjacent residential zone and that the parking layout has been reconfigured from a prior, smaller building with bays and parking on both sides. “We added a fence along this area, basically along the retaining wall, also because that's the residential zone to provide screening,” the applicant said.

Why it matters: the expansion would cross a wetland that the applicant showed on plan sheets and would change how stormwater is routed on the property, both issues that affect neighboring properties and sensitive hydrologic areas.

Project details and site work The applicant said the proposed work keeps a dumpster inside a caged area at the property edge and that the surface there will remain gravel to accommodate pickup. “So I think the only thing that would be out here of potential concern would be the dumpster, and we still have that on the cage edge in this act. So we wanted to keep that cage so that, a, it doesn't for picking up of and emptying the dumpster, it doesn't, it has a hard surface. Gravel,” the applicant said.

The applicant described reversing previous grading that had been directing runoff toward the rear of the property and instead said pavement and gravel would be pitched to a catch basin at the front of the site. “So we stopped and we're pitching just the gravel, and the pavement is now pitching and going to a catch basin coming to the front of this way. So that we're not sending anything just into this,” the applicant said.

Wetland crossing and parking expansion On the plans the applicant identified wetlands (outlined in blue on the shared sheet) that extend from the fairgrounds and run behind Page Senior and Satter Drive. The applicant said the owner wants additional contractor parking and is proposing to cross the wetland with a gravel driveway and a culvert at the crossing to reach the expanded parking area. “He would like his additional parking, for the contractor base. And he's looking to to cross this wetland here and expand a gravel parking lot here,” the applicant said. “What's outlined in blue here is the wetlands that start here at the fairgrounds and then ultimately go down behind Page Senior and Saffer Drive.”

Previous approvals and lot configuration The applicant noted that an earlier approved site plan showed three buildings and a parking lot on the opposite side of the property and that the current proposal would reconfigure that arrangement. The applicant also said there had been back-and-forth discussion about a possible boundary line adjustment with an adjacent property owner, Clearwater Pools, which could change who controls the parcel at issue.

Next steps and unresolved items The transcript excerpt does not record a formal vote or final decision on the proposal. The discussion in the excerpt focused on plan details — screening, grading, dumpster location, the proposed culvert and the mapped wetlands — and did not include a recorded determination or permitting outcome.