Developer seeks county OK to enter ditch for proposed gas station drainage plan

Deborah Hughes, a consultant with Surveying and Mapping, asked the board for permission to enter the county ditch to install drainage for a proposed gas station and associated commercial uses. She said the site’s impervious coverage would rise from about 42% to about 78% and that the existing 10-year runoff for the site is estimated at 3.43 cubic feet per second (CFS). “What we’re proposing is a 12 inches diameter pipe that goes through an oil separator out to Phillips Ditch,” Hughes said, adding the design would retain the additional flow in oversized pipes and release it at a restricted rate of roughly 2.8 CFS.

Hughes told the board she and the developer have applied to NDOT and worked with the town on sewer and water connections but still need final agency approvals and a county building permit before construction. She said the state highway department objected to two driveways and requested the plan be limited to a single, widened driveway; railroad ownership of a small triangular parcel near the site has also required outreach. Hughes said the developer hopes to begin work this fall. “We’ve applied to NDOT and we’ve also worked with the Town on the sewer and water connections,” she told the board. The presentation also noted the proposed site would include a liquor store and a drive-through offering hot food in addition to fuel sales.

The board asked clarifying technical questions about whether runoff would travel under the road and how the drainage structures would be routed; Hughes described a system of collection structures under the parking area and roof drains that feed the oversized storage pipes and the oil separator. The board did not take a formal vote on the ditch-entry request during the meeting; Hughes said she would return with documentation and the committee will await agency decisions before acting further.