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Planning board approves opening in Roger Street stone wall for Hayden driveway
Summary
The board unanimously approved Steven Hayden’s scenic-road application to open a 30-foot gap in a stone wall on Roger Street for a driveway to a proposed single-family home, noting tree-warden input that nearby trees are poor health and that the removed stones will be reused on site.
The West Newbury Planning Board voted unanimously Jan. 6 to approve a scenic-road bylaw application from Steven Hayden to remove a section of stone wall on Roger Street for a driveway serving a proposed single-family home.
The board opened the public hearing after a staff reading of the notice citing MGL ch. 40 §15C and MGL ch. 87 §3. Applicant Steven Hayden told the board the work is "to open the sectional wall for driveway," that the proposed driveway would be dirt-and-gravel initially, and that removed stones would be reused to repair the wall ends on site.
Planner Chris reported he had checked with the tree warden, who left a message that the two trees nearest the proposed opening were "not healthy trees. They won't survive long regardless of what happens there," and the warden raised no objection to the proposed entrance dimensions. Board members asked whether any trees over 10 inches in diameter would be removed and were told the applicant was not proposing to remove such protected trees.
After closing the hearing, a motion to approve the scenic-road application, with a friendly amendment to reflect the meeting discussion (noting trees and stone reuse in the minutes), passed by roll-call vote: Anne Bardin, Ray Cook, Deb Hamilton, Brian Murphy and Rob Phillips voted yes.
Planner Chris will incorporate the board’s conditions and the meeting discussion into the minutes and the approval paperwork.
