Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wetlands Permit topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Conservation commission backs 81 Brown Ave wetland permit with stipulations and driveway recommendation
Summary
The Hampton Conservation Commission recommended approval of a Town Wetland Permit for 81 Brown Ave, citing reduced impervious surfaces and FEMA‑compliant design, but urged the applicant to consider permeable driveway materials and required standard wetland buffer protections.
Sergio Bonilla, CWS of Mission Wetland & Ecological Services, presented a raze‑and‑rebuild plan for 81 Brown Ave that would replace the existing house with a FEMA‑compliant elevated single‑family dwelling. The site lies within the shoreland/tidal wetland buffer and faces a prime salt marsh across Brown Ave, prompting state‑level review and a prime wetland waiver to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES).
The commission recorded a net reduction in impervious surface of about 16.4% overall and roughly 2.3% within the 50‑foot wetland buffer by removing paved areas and a large detached shed, and by converting some paved areas to grass and crushed stone. Bonilla said the proposed foundation would be elevated and vented so the lower level could allow water movement during coastal storms, and the plan includes infiltration strips and recommendations for salt‑tolerant shrubs such as northern bayberry to strengthen the tidal buffer.
Commission members pressed for details about utilities, access points and the driveway surface. Ryan Pope, the Planning Board representative, asked whether utilities would be raised within the ground‑floor utility space; Bonilla said they would be. Jay Diener and others questioned the use of bituminous asphalt for the driveway; Conservation Coordinator Brianna Hagan and Bonilla said the applicant would be advised to consider a permeable driveway option to further reduce runoff.
On motions: Commissioner Peter Tilton moved to recommend the Town Wetland Permit for 81 Brown Ave with the standard stipulations and the recommendation that the agent discuss permeable driveway materials with the applicant; John Croteau seconded. The motion passed 6‑0‑1, with Jay Diener abstaining. The commission also voted 7‑0 to take no position opposing the NHDES Standard Dredge & Fill permit and to waive intervention on the prime wetland waiver.
The commission’s standard stipulations require, among other items, installation of Wetlands Conservation District markers at the buffer edge; photo documentation of permeable surfaces during construction and a maintenance requirement; prohibition of fertilizer, pesticides and other materials within the buffer except limestone as allowed; and a requirement that at least 75% of proposed plantings survive two growing seasons. The permit materials also remind the applicant that additional structures or changes in elevation would require a new wetlands permit and that the Conservation Coordinator must be notified at the start and completion of the project.
The commission’s decision was procedural: the group recommended the Town Wetland Permit to the Planning Board and expressed support for measures that would further reduce stormwater impacts. The NHDES and any state prime wetland determinations remain separate processes.
