Wolfeboro planning board hears preliminary consultation on after‑the‑fact fill in wetland buffer at 9 Christopher Court

The Wolfeboro Planning Board held a preliminary consultation on June 17 over an after‑the‑fact special‑use permit request for fill placed inside a wetland buffer at 9 Christopher Court.

The discussion centered on how the applicant should proceed after town staff discovered fill placed “right to the edge of [the] wetland,” the board said, and on the procedural steps required for either restoring the site or seeking retroactive approval. The board did not take a final vote on an after‑the‑fact permit at the meeting.

Why this matters: The town’s Wetlands Conservation Overlay District sets a 25‑foot buffer intended to protect wetland functions including on‑site water dissipation and downstream water quality. Board members and staff said unauthorized fill in that buffer can destabilize slopes and cause sediment or runoff to reach the wetland and neighboring properties.

At the meeting, applicant representatives described the site work and asked the board for guidance on next steps. Peter Cooperdock of Furnstone Associates said he had been “told to come here and try to decide a path forward for this.” Owner Sean Dunn acknowledged the fill and said he had been advised by a previous building inspector during construction to bring the patio/pervious area to the board. He told the board he has a stop‑work order in place and that a planned closing on the house was delayed.…