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Resident asks whether denial bars quarrying; board says quarrying remains possible if setback met
Summary
A resident asked whether the board's denial means a quarry can never operate on the property. Chair Mark Hansen said the property lies in a mineral extraction zone where extraction is permitted if ordinance standards — including a 500-foot setback — are satisfied; a very small (about 2.5-acre) quarry could proceed without the variance but may not be financially viable.
During the public comment period, resident Gwen Scheuit asked whether the denial of the variance means the applicant cannot have any quarry at the site. Chair Mark Hansen answered that quarrying is a permitted use in the mineral extraction zone but that the town's ordinance requires a 500-foot setback from property lines/municipal boundary. He said a very small operation "would only amount about 2.5 acres," which he suggested might not be financially viable for the applicant.
Hansen also explained the applicant's alternatives: the applicant could (1) operate a smaller quarry that meets the ordinance's setback and other requirements, or (2) reapply for a variance and pursue the standard review process. The board did not adjudicate financial viability; Hansen framed the 2.5-acre figure as an illustrative scale that could fit within the ordinance without the variance.
