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Rye conservation commission urges reduced wetland impacts for proposed 701 South Road subdivision
Summary
Developers seeking to create five house lots on a 41-acre Rye parcel were urged by the Conservation Commission to substantially reduce wetlands and buffer impacts; commissioners requested a single access alternative, additional site walk, and further detail before ZBA review.
The Rye Conservation Commission on June 2 recommended that developers substantially reduce wetland and wetland-buffer impacts for a proposed five-lot subdivision at 701 South Road and asked for an additional site walk and more detail on a single-access option.
Alex Ross of Ross Engineering presented the subdivision plan for a 41-acre parcel owned by the Elva S. Carpenter Revocable Trust, saying the proposal would replace existing culverts with open box culverts to improve flow and that wetland disturbance was kept under 3,000 square feet to qualify for a minimum-impact expedited permit. Environmental Scientist Marc Jacobs reviewed on-site water flow.
Member Shawn Joyce, who said he is "very familiar with the area," challenged the proposal’s benefits for wetlands, arguing that converting a long-unused farm road into an asphalt access with houses and drainage would negatively affect one of the last large habitat blocks in Rye. Acting Chair Hugh Lee said he would like to see less impact on wetlands and buffers by moving to a single access generally in the location of the existing house. Michael Bean, who attended the site walk, said replacing the culvert with a box culvert makes sense for flow and that from a wetlands standpoint he would not object to the proposal as currently presented.
Motion by Hugh Lee that the Commission recommend the applicant substantially reduce wetlands and wetland-buffer impacts and consider a single access to the back lots passed on a roll call vote (6 yes, 0 no, 1 abstention). The Commission agreed an additional site walk is needed and requested more detail from the applicant on a single-access design before further review or ZBA consideration.
Next steps identified by the Commission include another site walk and submission of revised plans showing reduced buffer impacts and the alternative single-access road.
