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Henniker planning board approves two‑lot split at 61 Gould Pond Road, grants surveying waiver and leaves fire‑safety sign‑off to fire chief
Summary
The board unanimously granted a waiver to limit full‑parcel surveying and approved a two‑lot subdivision of 61 Gould Pond Road with conditions including DPW easements, wetland documentation and a requirement that the fire chief sign off on a suitable water source at building‑permit time.
The Henniker Planning Board on May 14 approved a proposal to create two new residential lots from a roughly 81.6‑acre parent parcel at 61 Gould Pond Road, granting a waiver to avoid surveying the entire parcel and attaching technical conditions to the final plan.
Jacques Belanger, the surveyor for the applicant (J.E. Belanger Land Surveying), told the board the two new lots would be approximately 11.95 acres and 12.7 acres, with buildable areas mapped around wetlands. He said the required buildable area for each lot is met by upland around the wetland features and asked for relief from surveying the whole parcel because much of it is wet and large.
The board’s discussion centered on fire‑safety recommendations from the fire chief, who suggested options including a cistern, a dry hydrant, or household sprinklers. Planning staff noted Emerald Lake has a dry hydrant roughly 0.9 mile from the site; board members said the final determination of an acceptable water source should rest with the fire chief during the building‑permit review rather than by the planning board now. “Obtaining the building permit will be subject to the fire department signing off on it,” the Chair said.
Board members also identified technical items that must be completed before recording: written DPW easement language allowing the road agent access to clean and maintain culverts, a signed mylar, wetland stamp, granite bounds along the frontage, and setting bounds or directional points where wetlands prevent placing rear corner monuments. The planning staff agreed to supply the applicant with an easement template and to work with the surveyor on final plan text.
Patrice Bell, the property owner, told the board the subdivision is intended to allow the owners to downsize for retirement; she said the driveway from town measures about 4.1 miles.
Formal actions recorded in the meeting minutes showed the board voted unanimously to grant the requested surveying waiver and then voted unanimously to approve the subdivision as presented, contingent on the notations and conditions discussed. The board directed the applicant to finalize the plan with staff for signature and mylar submittal.
What happens next: the applicant must deliver the signed mylar and required documents; the building‑permit process will include fire‑department review and any required mitigation accepted or requested by the fire chief.
