The West Swanzey Planning Board on Nov. 6 approved a site plan and a home-based business permit for Patton Oil at 42 Monadnock Highway, subject to conditions that the board of selectmen approve the home-based business and that the applicant show the septic system and the driveway to the parking area on the filed plat.

The approval covers a proposed 1,350-square-foot parking area intended to hold two oil delivery trucks and one 10-foot box truck. The board voted to grant requested waivers for items 14–25 on the site-plan checklist and deemed the application complete before taking final action. Motions were recorded as moved and seconded by board members; the board approved the waivers, completeness determination, and final site-plan and home-business approval by voice vote.

Why it matters: The property lies in the town’s Business District (Tax Map 102, Lot 13). Conservation staff had flagged the site because it sits above a highly transmissive portion of the local aquifer; the board conditioned approval on measures meant to reduce spill risk and asked that any future change in the number of parked trucks return to the board for review.

Applicant presentation and safety measures

Applicant Mark Patton described operational and safety procedures he said the company uses to minimize spill risk. Patton said drivers complete a written 30-point inspection before leaving the yard and again when they return; trucks carry a spill kit, a 20-pound fire extinguisher, and an emergency-response guide; and older industry safety devices are standard on modern delivery trucks. “I am absolutely 100% sure that no drop of oil would ever hit the ground over there because of the way we conduct our business. We’re very safe,” Patton told the board.

Patton described self-containment pans the company uses under parked trucks — roughly 8 feet by 3.5 feet and 4–6 inches deep — with a capacity he put at about 15–20 gallons. He said typical residual volume in the truck plumbing is “8 to 10 gallons” in a worst-case plumbing failure and noted that trucks built after 1978 include a spring-loaded sump valve designed to isolate the tank from the plumbing when the pump is shut off.

Conservation commission and board concerns

Planner Adam summarized Conservation Commission comments in the board packet: the commission asked that tanker vehicles be parked on a containment pad or similar hard surface because the property overlies a transmissive aquifer, and it recommended that the applicant return to the board if he sought to park more than three vehicles. Adam told the board that the commission’s comments had arrived close to the meeting and that Mark Scalera would address them on the record.

Board members questioned screening between the parking area and nearby residences, whether the septic location was shown on the plan and whether the parking area should be a hard surface rather than gravel. Patton said he planned to place gravel for maneuvering and that he would provide a clear drawing showing the existing driveway and septic location to be entered into the town file if the board approved.

Board action and conditions

- Waivers: Motion by Brandon Self to grant the requested waivers (with the caveat that the waivers remain consistent with the spirit of the site-plan and zoning regulations); seconded by Michael York. Board approved the motion. (Recorded as approved by voice vote.)

- Completeness: Motion by Michael York that the application is complete and ready for public hearing; seconded by Brandon Self. Approved by voice vote.

- Final approval: Motion by Michael York to approve the site plan and the home-based business, conditioned on (1) the board of selectmen approving the home-based business; and (2) the applicant showing the septic system and the driveway that leads to the parking area on the filed plat; seconded by Brandon Self. Motion carried; the board instructed the applicant to provide the revised plat to town staff.

What the conditions require: The board did not adopt a hard-surface requirement as part of the approval; instead, staff and the applicant agreed that the containment pans, a gravel pad and the trucks’ onboard spill kits addressed the immediate conservation concern. The Conservation Commission had requested a hard surface or containment pad specifically because of the aquifer vulnerability; the board’s action requires the applicant to show containment details in the record and to return if the number of parked trucks increases.

Practical details noted on the record

- Hours of operation listed in the application: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Proposed parking area size: 1,350 square feet to accommodate two oil delivery trucks and one small box truck.
- Applicant’s trucks described as 2020 model-year vehicles; applicant said no on-site pumping or repairs would occur.
- Containment pans: applicant described pans kept under trucks when parked nightly; applicant also described truck-mounted spill kits and absorbent pads (“pigs”) used to contain oil-only spills.

What the board did not decide

The board did not require a change in the parking-surface material beyond the conditions noted, nor did it authorize parking for more than three vehicles; the Conservation Commission’s request that the applicant come back if the number of trucks increases was preserved by the board.

Speakers (attributed in article)

- Mark Patton, applicant (Patton Oil)
- Adam, planning staff (presented the staff memo and Conservation Commission comments)
- Brandon Self, Planning Board member (moved waivers)
- Michael York, Planning Board member (moved completeness and motion to approve)

Authorities cited on the record

- Town zoning ordinance (site plan review provisions and checklist referenced in staff memo)
- Town site-plan review regulations (checklist items 14–25 referenced)
- Conservation Commission (comments summarized in staff memo)

Discussion vs. decision

The article distinguishes discussion items (screening, surface material, septic location, conservation concerns) from the board’s formal outcomes (granting waivers, finding application complete, and approving the site plan and home-based business with conditions). The board’s approval is conditioned explicitly on select-board sign-off and the applicant’s showing the septic and driveway on the plat.

Proper names

- Patton Oil (applicant)
- Monadnock Highway / Route 12 (site access)

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