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Neighbors object to proposed barn and driveway near wetlands at 110 Spencer Brook Road
Summary
A proposed 1,200 sq ft barn and 12-foot gravel driveway for a 5.1-acre property drew neighbor objections at the Town of Concord Natural Resources Commission meeting, which continued the hearing to Dec. 11 and asked the applicant for a wetlands delineation, mitigation plan and manure-management details.
A proposal to build a 1,200-square-foot barn and an associated gravel driveway at a property identified in the filing as 110 (Stanford/Spencer) Brook Road prompted sharp questions from neighbors and a request for more information from the Town of Concord Natural Resources Commission.
Applicant representative Seth Donaholtz of Phillips and Royce Civil Design Group told the commission the structure is intended to support existing horses on the property owned by David and Miranda Lee. Donaholtz said the garage/barn footprint would be outside the 50-foot wetland buffer, would include erosion controls and a stone "drip recharge" trench to promote groundwater recharge, and that any building with plumbing would require separate Title 5 and other permits.
Neighbors raised concerns about the location and potential impacts. "I've never ever seen a vehicle on that part of the property," neighbor David Beamer said, disputing the applicant's statement that the driveway is already used. Beamer added: "I'm concerned about leakage of diesel ... and drippage of oil or conditioning fluids" from vehicles accessing a new driveway and asked how runoff into the stream that crosses his property would be prevented.
Another nearby resident, Fred Seward, described the slope toward the wetlands and questioned the siting: "Any runoff, drainage, pollution coming from this area will be carried right down to the wetlands," he said, noting that the proposed work area sits near the 100-foot buffer and that the pasture is subject to seasonal muddiness.
In response, Donaholtz said the property has a manure-management program and that manure is stored temporarily on the driveway and removed from the site. He also offered to stake the proposed building and driveway locations, provide an updated mitigation table and coordinate a site visit for commission staff and members.
Commissioners requested a confirmed wetlands delineation (wetland flags), a mitigation plan showing proposed plantings and precise mitigation acreage (the applicant had estimated roughly 3,056 square feet for the two items), and a clearer description of how the driveway and any maintenance (including weed control) will be managed to avoid pollutant discharge. The commission also asked the applicant to correct an LLC name error in the filing.
The commission continued the hearing to the December 11 meeting to allow the applicant to provide the requested wetland flags, a mitigation plan with square-foot calculations, and documentation of the manure-management program and other safeguards.
The commission took no formal vote on the application at the meeting; the hearing remains open pending the additional materials and a field review.
