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Planning board to review driveway/culvert standards after Tanya Lane permitting errors; town engineer input requested
Summary
Following permitting errors on Tanya Lane, Brentwood’s planning board discussed whether to allow HDPE/plastic culverts in some cases, clarified jurisdictional roles between the planning board and select board, and agreed to delay ordinance changes until a town engineer can assess standards and inspection needs.
Brentwood’s Planning Board spent an extended portion of its meeting on Tanya Lane and driveway/culvert standards after select-board actions created a process gap that the board says exposed the town to legal risk.
Members reviewed how Tanya Lane’s culverts were handled during subdivision approvals and criticized the select board for signing a driveway permit that the planning board says should have been part of the subdivision bonding and acceptance process. One member said the town’s legal exposure stemmed from that mistaken permitting step.
The board debated whether to change the town’s standard — historically reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) for subdivision culverts — to allow alternatives such as HDPE (plastic) in some circumstances. Supporters pointed out that modern materials are used elsewhere and can last a long time; opponents emphasized that Brentwood has not experienced failures for decades and cautioned against changing long-standing subdivision standards.
Several members said two separate processes must be clear: subdivision culverts, inspected and bonded through planning-board approvals, and driveway permits for existing roads, which fall under select-board jurisdiction. The board emphasized that future changes to permit forms and inspection procedures are warranted, but recommended a thorough review with a town engineer before proposing any ordinance or warrant-article changes.
Staff and members suggested administrative fixes: strengthen the town’s driveway-permit inspections, incorporate engineering review in the permitting sequence, and ensure select-board staff no longer sign permits for roads not yet accepted by the town. The board agreed to revisit the issue next year once a town engineer is on board and to develop new inspection and bonding procedures prior to considering material-spec changes.
No ordinance change or warrant article was adopted at this meeting; members agreed to study the issue and to pursue process fixes first.
