Belmore Castaways' plan for 17,600‑sq‑ft contractor building accepted as complete by New Boston planning board

The New Boston Planning Board on May 12 accepted as complete a site‑plan application from Belmore Castaways LLC for a 17,600‑square‑foot high‑bay contractor building at 33 Hemlock Drive.

Pete Madsen, a project engineer at Keith Smartstrom Associates representing the applicant, said the plan calls for 11 individual units and associated site improvements including widened driveway access, stormwater controls and a proposed infiltration pond. “The project really tonight is looking to expand the current use of that contractor building by constructing a 17,600 square foot High Bay Contractor building,” Madsen said.

Madsen said the applicant proposes 34 parking spaces (about three per unit), a new septic system, a proposed connection to an existing well, and underground power to replace existing overhead poles. He told the board the design avoids impacts to a wetland complex and preserves the town’s 50‑foot no‑disturbance buffer: “We are not proposing any impacts to the wetland or to that 50 foot buffer either.”

The applicant identified several required permits and reviews, including an Alteration of Terrain (AOT) permit from NHDES, a conditional‑use permit (CUP) to construct the pond within the town’s groundwater conservation overlay, and state approvals for a new septic system. Madsen also said an ecological review required under the revised AOT process has been addressed in the plan set; he said formal AOT comments are still outstanding.

Board members praised the completeness of the submission but asked for follow‑up materials. The board requested a traffic trip‑generation memo to clarify vehicle counts and turning movements, autoturn diagrams for fire and delivery vehicles, transformer location details for coordination with Eversource, and a landscape or buffer plan for the Hemlock Drive frontage. The board also asked the applicant to add plan callouts for culverts and guardrail details.

A motion to accept the application as complete was made and seconded; the board approved by voice vote. The board agreed to hold final consideration of three requested waivers (traffic impact analysis, environmental impact study and community facilities impact study under section 2.4 of the town’s site‑plan review regulations) until the trip memo and outstanding agency comments are received.

Madsen told the board he expects AOT responses to take several weeks and that coordination with the town engineer could push the review calendar into July. The board noted it will schedule follow‑up review and a potential compliance hearing or additional hearings as needed.

Next steps: the applicant will provide the trip‑generation memo, updated utility and landscape callouts, and any AOT comments; the planning board will coordinate town‑engineer review and return the item for a future meeting.