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Abutters press DRB on runoff, habitat and road safety at Haney on‑farm business hearing
Summary
Multiple abutters testified that proposed parking for the Haney on‑farm business could harm vernal‑pool habitat, increase runoff to drinking‑water sources, and worsen traffic at a nearby intersection; the applicant offered mitigation and the board accepted the application as complete.
Several abutting property owners told the Development Review Board they feared environmental and safety impacts from two proposed roadside parking areas at the Haney property.
Corin and Dale Hoffman and other neighbors said the southern parking area is seasonally wet, that salamanders and possible vernal pools occur there, and that compacted parking could increase sediment and pollutant runoff into downstream water supplies. One prepared statement circulated by the St. Louis family calculated that 29 parking spots could equate to roughly "116 individuals," and asked when wastewater and sanitary requirements would be triggered.
At the hearing, Dwyer Haney said he has a permitted septic system, that most classes would be short and not require permanent sanitation facilities, and that he would rent facilities for larger events and add plantings to screen parking areas. Neighbors also cited road‑safety concerns at the intersection of Robert Young and Dan Sargent roads and asked whether attendance limits or advertising controls could be required as conditions.
The board concluded that the bylaws' checklist for completeness was met and voted to accept the application as complete so that deliberation and any necessary conditions could be considered in a later decision.
