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Architect outlines second-floor addition and gravel driveway for 824 The Crescent; commission requests wetland scientist and SWIP clarifications
Summary
At a May 21 Coastal Zone Management Commission meeting, the applicant for 824 The Crescent described a second-floor addition and driveway changes that add 173 sq ft of impervious surface; the commission asked for a wetland scientist report, infiltration testing, and corrections to the SWIP before final review.
Jan Cherek, the architect for the project at 824 The Crescent, told the Coastal Zone Management Commission on May 21 that the plan calls for a second-floor addition over an existing garage, a new pebble-stone driveway with Belgian blocks and a four-foot concrete apron, an 8-by-17-foot patio, and stepping-stone walkways. "The change in the impervious surface is only 173 square feet, which is under the threshold of 200 square feet in the village code," Cherek said.
Commission members asked whether the driveway and other changes would trigger additional permitting because the property lies within the wetland buffer. The chair noted that a wetland permit from the planning board would be required and that the commission typically requests an independent wetland scientist’s opinion about whether proposed work would jeopardize wetland form or function. The chair asked the applicant to deliver that opinion when the project returns for final consistency review.
John Keller, who summarized the commission’s technical review comments, told the commission the project disturbs 4,179 square feet, which requires a submitted SWIP, and that while the increase in impervious surface (173 sq ft) is below the 200-sq-ft quantity trigger, disturbance over 2,000 sq ft requires addressing water-quality measures. Keller said the applicant had not yet provided infiltration testing for the driveway area and had submitted some inconsistent values across documents; he recommended contractor certification and consistent numbers in revised materials. "With a conservative assumed infiltration rate of 1 inch per hour the applicant complies, but the infiltration testing needs to be provided," Keller said.
Cherek described the proposed gravel driveway as engineered to infiltrate runoff: a two-inch pebble layer over 10 inches of clean gravel that allows water to seep into the ground rather than sheet off the surface. He confirmed there would be no regrading or fill and that all construction debris would be removed from the site.
The commission asked that the applicant return with: (1) a wetland scientist’s opinion describing the wetland’s nature and any impacts, (2) finalized soil/infiltration testing for the SWIP, (3) a contractor certification statement, and (4) corrected, consistent numeric values across submittals. The applicant agreed to hire a wetland scientist and return for final review once the gaps were filled. The commission did not take a final vote on the project at this meeting.
