Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use Noah Estates topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning board accepts Noah Estates application; engineer flags cistern, wetland and cul‑de‑sac issues
Summary
The Sandown Planning Board took jurisdiction of a proposed 21‑unit Noah Estates open‑space condominium on Little Mill Road and directed the applicant to address engineering comments including a 30,000‑gallon cistern location, a roughly 1,800‑sq‑ft wetland impact that needs a conditional‑use permit, missing yield‑plan materials, sight‑distance, and cul‑de‑sac geometry.
The Sandown Planning Board voted June 16 to take under jurisdiction an application for Noah Estates, a proposed open‑space condominium on Little Mill Road that would create 21 clustered single‑family dwelling units in a 0‑lot‑line, condominium form of ownership.
The board opened the public hearing after applicant representative Ryan Lavell of Lavell Associates asked the panel to accept jurisdiction so the public record could be opened and the project could move forward with state permitting. ‘‘This evening, we are requesting the board to please accept jurisdiction of this application,’’ Lavell said.
Tom Schomburg and the board’s town engineer, Steve Keach of Keach Nordstrom Associates, then reviewed a June 16 review letter that outlined technical and zoning concerns the applicant must address. Keach told the board ‘‘there will be a 30,000‑gallon cistern installed on the site at a predetermined location’’ and asked that construction details be included on the final plans so the fire chief and the town engineer can confirm the installation will be secure and not leak.
Keach also identified a small isolated wetland impact he estimated at about 1,800 square feet and said that would require submission of a conditional‑use permit and review by the conservation commission under the town zoning ordinance. He told the board a yield plan was missing from the submission and asked Lavell to supply the yield analysis that underpins the requested 21‑unit density.
Other technical matters Keach raised included demonstrating at least 400 feet of safe sight distance at the proposed intersection with Little Mill Road, clarifying cul‑de‑sac geometry (including whether a waiver of maximum dead‑end length will be needed), and adding station values to the plan so the board can determine whether a length‑based waiver is required.
Board members also discussed waiver procedure. Member Brian Lewango read the subdivision regulation language that requires a waiver petition be submitted in writing with an application, and the group agreed the applicant should file any waiver requests and the conditional‑use permit in writing so the board can act on them after full review.
After those exchanges, the board made and seconded a motion to accept the Noah Estates application for public hearing jurisdiction. The motion carried by voice vote, and the board agreed the matter will return for continued review and public hearings at the July 21 meeting while the applicant addresses engineer comments.
Next steps: the applicant will submit the requested yield plan, any formal waiver petitions and conditional‑use permit materials, and revised drawings with station values and cistern construction details for follow‑up review and July 21 consideration.
