Alton Planning Board approves contractor yard for John Goodrich with tree-buffer and DOT confirmation required

The Alton Town Planning Board approved an application on June 17 for an existing contractor’s yard operated by John Goodrich and Lisa Nicastro, subject to installation of a 75‑foot tree buffer, minimum planting height and a written confirmation from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation.

Vice Chair Doug Brown opened the hearing on case P25‑15 and the board accepted the application as complete, granted requested plan waivers and then took public testimony before moving to final approval. The board’s final motion approved the site with conditions precedent (trees to be planted within six months) and a subsequent condition requiring a DOT letter confirming the driveway status.

The applicants, represented by attorney Chris Bolt and surveyor Randy Tetron, said the yard has operated for years and that the filing is largely an “after‑the‑fact” compliance action required by a prior Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) special‑exception decision. Randy Tetron, a licensed land surveyor, told the board the plan is a retracement survey showing existing conditions and that “we’re not proposing any construction” on the site.

John Goodrich, who described the site as primarily a parking area for his equipment, said crews leave in the morning and return when work is finished. “There’s not — we’re not processing material there. We’re not selling material. People are not coming there to buy material,” Goodrich said during the hearing.

Neighbors urged stronger mitigation. Longtime abutter Paul Monzioni said he supported the applicant making a living but described repeated changes in the size of material piles and loud backup beeps and tailgate slams. “I would strongly urge and request that these mitigating requirements be part of any approval,” Monzioni said, urging a berm and tree screening under the town’s site‑plan screening provisions.

Attorney Chris Mould, speaking for the applicants later in the hearing, disputed a legal claim that the ZBA approval had expired. Board counsel advised the board the special exception remained in effect through May 13, 2026, given the history of appeals, and the board followed that legal advice when considering the application.

Board members and staff raised specific regulatory points before voting. Planning staff asked that the file include the DOT correspondence dated March 29, 2022 showing the state engineer inspected the site; the board added an explicit condition that the applicants obtain a written confirmation from DOT that the driveway use, as described, does not require a new permit or, if it does, that the applicant apply for the required permit.

To address visual and noise concerns, the board required as a condition precedent that the applicants install a 75‑foot long tree buffer centered on the barn area visible to the most impacted abutter; initial plantings must be 4–6 feet tall and be installed within six months of the board’s approval. The board also confirmed earlier ZBA limits remain part of the approval, including that equipment must be owned or leased by the applicants and there be no routine sales to customers from the site.

The motion to approve case P25‑15 was made by Nick Bonapane and seconded by Vice Chair Doug Brown; the board voted in favor. The record shows the board granted waivers that the applicants requested for elements of the wetlands/topographic checklist because no new land disturbance was proposed.

The approval leaves several requirements for follow‑up: the DOT confirmation, placement of the buffer on updated site plans (surveyor Randy Tetron agreed to add the buffer to the plans), and documentation that plantings were installed within the six‑month period. The board also noted standard plan notes and indicated staff will track compliance.