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Conservation commission backs Farmington Ridge permits after developers trim wetland impacts
Summary
The commission recommended three Special Use Permits for the Farmington Ridge development — including roughly 85,845 sq. ft. of buffer disturbance and 2,690 sq. ft. of direct wetland fill — after developers described stormwater controls, wildlife crossings and mitigation; recommendations passed 6-0-1 (Staples abstained).
The Town of Farmington Conservation Commission on Jan. 8 recommended approval of three Special Use Permits for the proposed Farmington Ridge development, after hearing that redesign work and mitigation measures significantly reduced the project’s direct wetland impacts.
Christopher Berry of Berry Surveying & Engineering told commissioners the redesign and a variance reduced wetland impact “from over an acre of wetland impact to just about 3,000 sq. ft.” He said the project would concentrate development on roughly 36 acres of a nearly 100-acre parcel and would rely on public water and sewer connections through the existing manufactured housing park. Berry described stormwater control measures, including multiple treatment cells and a large infiltration cell to meet groundwater recharge and peak rate attenuation requirements, and said the project will require state permits, including an Alteration of Terrain permit and an EPA NPDES Notice of Intent with weekly inspections during construction.
Berry and applicant Packy Campbell described specific measures intended to reduce ecological harm: an oversized reinforced concrete pipe with a 6-inch bury designed to allow animal passage, shoulder grading minimization, and preserved wetland corridors to protect turtle habitat. Damon Burt of Fraggle Rock Environmental performed the wetland delineation for the project, the applicants said.
Commissioners asked whether any portion of the larger parcel might be set aside as conserved open space. Campbell said he would be open to selling a conservation easement but did not commit to dedicating open space; “I don’t intend to post the property,” he said, adding that he has previously placed acreage into conservation in other projects.
After discussion the commission voted separately to recommend: Case SUP26-001A (approximately 9,020 sq. ft. of disturbance within 100 ft. of Dames Brook); Case SUP26-001B (approximately 85,845 sq. ft. of disturbance within the wetland buffer); and Case SUP26-001C (approximately 2,690 sq. ft. of direct wetland filling). All three recommendations passed 6-0-1, with Selectmen’s alternate Doug Staples recorded as abstaining.
The commission’s recommendations will be forwarded to the Planning Office and to state permitting authorities as the applicants complete site-plan review and the required state filings. The applicants said they will continue coordination with NH Fish & Game and refine stormwater numbers during final plan preparation.
The commission’s action leaves the Farmington Ridge applicants able to proceed toward Planning Board review and state permitting; no formal town approvals that would authorize construction were reported at the Jan. 8 meeting.
