Planning-board referral: large barn/workshop and pickleball court proposed; board asks for reflagging and site-visit

The board reviewed a planning-board referral for Fergus Chen that would add a 25-by-112-foot pole-barn-style workshop carved into sloped terrain, a pickleball court and a 0.5-bath pool house near existing construction. Jason Snyder said the structure is intended as a workshop and studio with storage and a crane to move materials.

Snyder explained that some construction access and material stockpiles currently sit in the wetland buffer and that the long-term plan is to narrow the access to a grass path and reclaim disturbed buffer areas when construction is complete. "We would narrow that down as just like a footpath and just to maintain the historic path here," Snyder said.

Board members asked for re-delineation and reflagging of wetland boundaries, staking of the proposed barn footprint and septic primary/reserve area, and coordination with the planning board’s site visit scheduled for July 26 so conservation board members could jointly verify conditions in the field. Staff reminded the board that portions of the property already required planning-board approvals when the original house was reconstructed because of size.

The board asked the applicant to submit a wetlands application with quantified disturbance area (Snyder said the total disturbance would now exceed one acre and require a SWPPP/SWEP filing) and to reflag boundaries for verification prior to final action.

Next steps: the conservation board will piggyback on the planning-board site visit, the applicant will reflag wetlands and stake proposed features, and staff will request a wetlands application and SWPPP/SWEP where applicable.