Planning Board recommends ZBA approve replacement pump station in floodplain conservancy district

At its July 7 meeting the Concord Planning Board voted to recommend the Zoning Board of Appeals approve a special-permit application to replace an irrigation pump station for the country club at 1861 Sudbury Road in the Floodplain Conservancy District.

Mike Tullill, representing the country club, showed plans for a 500-square-foot pump building sited outside the road setback and with a finished floor set about three feet above the existing grade so that pumps and mechanicals would be above the floodplain elevation. He told the board the compensatory storage calculations returned a ratio of about 1.64:1, which exceeds the town's 1.5:1 requirement for compensatory floodplain storage.

Board members asked technical questions about motor horsepower, noise mitigation and insulation. Tullill said mechanical equipment will be enclosed in the building and that the irrigation pumps run for only a few hours a day. He also explained the project will include buried draw piping between the pump station and the irrigation pond and that the club typically reuses good on-site loam for small course grading rather than exporting spoils.

Planning staff had reported five engineering questions and confirmed the comment letter had been uploaded to the project page; the applicant said he was addressing the comments and would submit responses. The board's positive recommendation to the ZBA was made "consistent with the planners' report and recommended conditions," and the board noted that addressing outstanding engineering comments will remain a condition of the recommendation.

The Planning Board's recommendation will be transmitted to the Zoning Board of Appeals for final action. The town planner and applicant noted the project will also appear before the Natural Resources Commission due to wetland and floodplain considerations.