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Richmond DRB approves amended landscaping and phasing for Browns Court pickleball courts
Summary
The Development Review Board approved a site-plan amendment for 58 Browns Court that clarifies tree counts, approves phasing for the pre‑existing outdoor recreation facility and requires planting and related permit conditions before the courts may be used.
The Town of Richmond’s Development Review Board on Wednesday approved an amended site plan for Browns Court that clarifies landscaping, tree counts and a phasing plan for the town’s pre‑existing outdoor recreation facility. The board’s unanimous vote finalizes details for pickleball courts already permitted for construction this summer, but keeps planting and other conditions tied to later phases.
The board heard from Duncan Wardwell, assistant town manager, who said the pickleball courts are expected to be built this summer and that tree planting around the courts is planned but still needs select‑board funding. Wardwell told the board the application updates the landscaping plan and lays out which phases the town intends to pursue; only the courts are fully funded and approved at this time.
Board members and staff flagged inconsistent tree counts in earlier paperwork — various figures (60, 84 and 99) had appeared in submissions — and asked for clearer placement and number information. Wardwell and DRB staff pointed to narrative pages in the application that show phased planting locations and said future changes would require returning to the DRB if landscaping altered by more than the threshold set in the town’s regulations (referenced by staff as section 5.5/5.5.4).
The zoning administrator and applicant emphasized the schedule: contractors expect to break ground mid‑ to late summer, take roughly two months to complete courts, and plant trees in the following fall. The board also reiterated a condition tied to the earlier zoning permit: courts may not be opened for public use until the required trees are planted, a measure the board described as part of sound‑mitigation and site‑stewardship conditions. The applicant said the courts will be locked until landscaping is installed.
After brief discussion the board voted unanimously to approve the landscaping amendment and phasing plan as presented, with the usual condition that any required permits are obtained and recorded documents filed as needed. The board did not add new funding commitments; select‑board approvals will still be required for phases that need town expenditures.
