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Commission raises concerns about large pool proposal near vernal pool; hearing continued
Summary
A proposal to add an 18-by-36 pool and associated patios at 357 Stony Hill Road drew commissioner concern over filling, large impervious surfaces, and whether mitigation areas are connected to the isolated vegetated wetland; applicants were asked to reduce the footprint and reconfigure mitigation and return on April 1.
Jack Olri of Strong Tree Engineering presented a plan to add a swimming pool and paver surround to an existing property that contains an isolated vegetated wetland. Olri said the design keeps the pool close to the house to minimize new disturbance and uses pavers for a pervious surround, and staff provided two proposed mitigation areas intended to offset new impact.
Commissioners challenged the size of the pool and extent of patio and asked whether proposed garden terraces between stepped walls could be counted as mitigation. The commission also raised concerns about fill brought in to construct the stepped walls between the 50- and 100-foot buffers and asked whether trees removed in the work would be replaced. Several commissioners suggested shrinking the pool footprint and creating contiguous mitigation that protects the vernal pool by placing plantings on the uphill side of the project where runoff would be intercepted.
The applicant agreed to revise the plan to reduce the footprint and to better connect mitigation to the wetland, and the commission continued the hearing to April 1, 2026.
Attribution: Reporting based on the March 11 hearing transcript; statements are attributed to Jack Olri and commissioners as recorded.
