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Commissioners continue Avon driveway application after concerns about tree clearing and erosion
Summary
The Inland Wetlands Commission continued Application #802 for 80 Haynes Road after engineers presented mitigation for driveway runoff but commissioners and a neighbor raised concerns about prior clearing, slope stability and possible impacts to nearby wetlands and drainage.
The Avon Inland Wetlands Commission on April 1 continued review of Application #802, a proposal to construct a driveway and related site work at 80 Haynes Road that would place about 110 feet of a 420-foot driveway within the 100-foot upland review area.
Engineer David Whitney and soil scientist Eric Davison presented a March 14, 2025 wetlands functions and values report. Whitney described a 90-foot by 2-foot stormwater infiltration basin sized to hold roughly 1,600 cubic feet — about five times the DEEP water-quality volume for the site — and said the design is intended to prevent driveway runoff from discharging to the downstream wetland and Big Brook. "We are storing five times the amount of the water quality volume which is equivalent to a 10-year storm," Whitney said.
Commissioners pressed the applicant’s team on site history and process. Vice Chair Michael Sacks and others said much of the tree clearing and foundation work occurred before the commission could fully review alternatives, narrowing options for less-impactful driveways. Sacks said the sequence set a troubling precedent and asked whether the commission should require a second expert opinion. Commissioner Robert Breckinridge raised slope-stability concerns and asked for stronger erosion control measures, saying revegetation can take years and that high-volume runoff could cause washouts.
A neighbor, Matthew Shultz of 81 Haynes Road, told commissioners he has experienced increased flooding and related basement damage since nearby wetlands were disturbed and said he has "had to invest over $10,000 in drainage solutions." Chair Michael Feldman suggested some drainage complaints be directed to the Town Engineer but said the IWC could still consider revisions to the plan.
After discussion the commission voted to continue the application to the next meeting, allowing the applicant to revise erosion-control details and present alternate driveway layouts for the commission’s review. The motion to continue was made by Commissioner Robert Breckinridge and seconded by Commissioner Daniel Carvalho and passed unanimously.
