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Conservation commission refers unpermitted deck stairs at 160 Rockhole Lane to staff for approval
Summary
The Newington Conservation Commission agreed June 16 to let staff handle a requested modification to an existing permit to reinstall rear‑deck stairs at 160 Rockhole Lane, finding the change minor and trimming the need for a public hearing.
Alan Bongiovanni, a licensed land surveyor representing the property owner, told the Newington Conservation Commission on June 16 that a set of rear‑deck stairs at 160 Rockhole Lane were built without prior commission approval and later removed, and he asked the commission to allow those stairs to be reinstalled.
"We're here to modify the house or the lot…We're asking permission to allow these stairs to be constructed," Bongiovanni said. He told the panel the only ground impact would be a small landing — roughly 4 by 2 feet — and that the corner of the deck and the stair base lie within the commission's 100‑foot regulated upland review area but are about 90 feet from the inland‑wetland limit at the closest point.
Commissioners reviewed photos and site plans and asked about earlier subdivision approvals, the mapped buildable area, and site stabilization during construction. One commissioner said he observed temporary sediment‑control measures that were overflowing during storms months earlier; town staff said the area is now stabilized and the town engineer had inspected complaints from storm events.
After discussion about process and precedent for other lots in the subdivision, the commission voted that a public hearing was not required and approved turning the application over to town staff for agent approval. The motion that a public hearing was unnecessary was moved by Commissioner Bashant and seconded by Commissioner Anderson; the subsequent motion to refer the modification to staff for agent approval also passed by unanimous vote.
The commission emphasized that the decision applies only to the stair modification under the existing permit and does not approve new construction beyond the described landing and stair footprint. Staff will work with the applicant on final details and any required documentation before issuing approval.
The application is recorded in the commission materials as IW26 (modification of permit 202205).
