Commission continues Leonard Street house hearing, presses for flood‑map, compensatory storage and building‑inspector details

The Norton Conservation Commission continued its review of a proposed single‑family house on Leonard Street (file 250‑11780) after detailed discussion about floodplain impacts, wetlands buffers and technical plan information.

Mitch Masslanker of Goddard Consulting presented site plans showing the parcel adjacent to mapped Canoe River features. He said work was proposed outside the 200‑foot riverfront area and outside the 100‑foot wetland buffer; the application requests work in bordering land subject to flooding and includes compensatory flood‑storage calculations.

Commissioners and staff pressed for documentation the applicant had not yet provided. The panel asked for the FEMA FIRM map and clearer elevation data after a commission member observed the 100‑year flood elevation shown on plans as 73.5. The commission also asked that the regulatory floodway extent be mapped and that test‑pit and groundwater elevations be provided for septic and pool design.

John Thomas and commissioners flagged practical concerns about an in‑ground pool in a high water table: the pool could float or fill with sediment after floods and may require dewatering and construction‑phase controls. The commission also recommended a maintenance corridor and clearer spacing between proposed pool fencing and conservation no‑touch signage to avoid future encroachments.

The applicant agreed to coordinate with the new building inspector, Ed Bailey, to add required flood‑elevation and flood‑vent details, and to provide revised plans showing firm‑map references, regulatory floodway mapping, and any compensatory storage changes. The hearing was continued to May 12 for submission of those materials.

The commission also said it may add a condition requiring demarcation (stones or signage) along a contour line to communicate the compensatory‑storage area to future owners.