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Zoning coordinator: Brook Road property is within wetland buffer; mitigation plan to be drafted after DES/NRCS review
Summary
Zoning Coordinator/Health Officer Tim Bray told the Select Board a Brook Road/Town Farm Road lot lies within the designated wetland buffer and that the town will require mitigation; NH DES correspondence on a separate Pettengill Road culvert said a wetland permit is required and NRCS will investigate further.
The Select Board heard a multipart zoning and environmental update at its March 23 meeting. Zoning Coordinator and Health Officer Tim Bray reported he measured a Brook Road/Town Farm Road property and found it lies within the town’s designated wetland buffer zone; the town wetland maps indicate the property is within the regulated buffer and the zoning ordinance prohibits building or disturbing soil/vegetation within 100 feet of prime wetlands.
An abutter had reported noise and noxious fumes from the property; Tim said the priority is to remove inappropriate disturbance and restore land to its natural state. The Board asked Tim to draft a mitigation plan and present it at the next Select Board meeting for the Board to consider specific mitigation steps.
On a related permitting matter the Board reviewed correspondence from Emmanuel Uwizeye, Wetlands Permitting Specialist at the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services, regarding a culvert on Pettengill Road. The email states: "I reviewed information you provided and found that a wetland permit was required for the culvert installation for the following reasons: ... it looks like the area you are referencing is rich in Priority Resources Area (PRA) and I suspect that the culvert impacted wetlands that may be at crossing location (To be verified by a Certified Wetland Scientist). Note that swales can meet wetland determination criteria of Hydric soils, Hydrology and Vegetation. In addition, it looks like the culvert is in flood plain which increases chances of being a wetland." TIM Bray noted NRCS will investigate further and that a wetland notification/permit will likely be required.
Tim also reported an approved Individual Sewage Disposal System (ISDS) application for Jeffrey and Kathleen Remillard for a three‑bedroom house on a 32.35‑acre parcel and provided an updated list of vested permits and short‑term‑rental application statuses. The Board voted to accept the zoning coordinator’s report.
The Board directed staff to prepare a mitigation plan for the Brook Road buffer encroachment and to continue coordination with DES/NRCS on the Pettengill culvert issue; the mitigation plan will be reviewed at the next meeting.
