Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Subdivision topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning board approves conditional use and three waivers for 56 Gear Road subdivision; one waiver draws a 'nay' vote
Summary
The board approved a three‑lot subdivision at 56 Gear Road including a conditional‑use permit for wetland buffer impacts and three waiver requests; staff circulated an updated memo and the board recorded one Nay on the waiver allowing an excessively long, narrow lot while the overall subdivision was approved.
The Rochester Planning Board approved a three‑lot minor subdivision for property at 56 Gear Road (Jeff Jones) after accepting the application as complete, adopting staff‑recommended conditions, and granting a conditional‑use permit and three waivers tied to wetland crossings and lot shape.
Applicant representative Keith Cowan described the plan for three lots served by a shared 20‑foot private driveway and explained two wetland crossings are required to access upland building areas. Cowan said the project has been reviewed by the conservation commission, which recommended conditional‑use approval for the wetland buffer impacts; he also said one of the required state wetlands permits (dredge‑and‑fill) for the first crossing had already been secured and other state approvals (septic and the second wetland crossing) remain pending.
Planning staff provided an updated staff memo at the meeting noting standard recording and construction conditions, and asked that test‑pit and soil data be added to final plans. A neighbor, Richard Davis, spoke about mailbox placement and visual impacts; board members and staff explained the U.S. Postal Service typically requires roadside cluster boxes and that the plan includes a turnaround meeting fire‑department standards.
The board voted to approve the conditional‑use permit for wetland buffer impacts and to grant the three waiver requests required for stormwater and lot configuration. One waiver (section 5.2.4 to allow an excessively long, narrow lot) drew a recorded Nay from one board member; the chair recorded the motion as carrying with one Nay. The overall subdivision application was approved with the standard and project‑specific conditions listed in the staff memo.
Next steps: applicant must obtain the remaining state permits for septic and the second wetland crossing, record final plans and easement documents, and satisfy the staff precedent conditions before construction begins.
