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Owners present DeWitt Lane driveway plan; board flags wetland buffer and fire‑safety slope issues
Summary
LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects and new owners described a proposed rebuilt driveway across a 120‑acre DeWitt Lane property, demolition of accessory structures, and a low‑impact alignment through existing cleared areas. The board highlighted wetland buffer impacts, grading (up to 7 feet of fill in places) and that driveway slopes may need variances for fire‑safety access.
Doug Jones of LeBlanc Jones Landscape Architects presented an informational master plan for the Levinson property on DeWitt Lane, describing proposed demolition of deteriorated outbuildings, a new private drive alignment through largely cleared areas and limited disturbance inside wetland buffer zones.
Jones said the proposed alignment would reduce extreme grades by sweeping around a knoll and that grading would include both cut and fill (fill up to about 7 feet in some places) to achieve a safe 12‑foot travel lane and two‑foot shoulders. He noted some segments show slopes above 10%, and the plan uses an 11.5% maximum slope in places to keep the disturbance corridor narrower.
Board members and fire‑safety representatives stressed life‑safety concerns: the town's code and fire officials limit driveway slope for fire apparatus, and any relief may require a local waiver or a state fire‑code variance. The board advised the applicant to coordinate a formal referral (Ed Ferrato/engineering referral was mentioned) and to include future driveway phases in a master plan so that potential variances and emergency access can be considered comprehensively.
