HOA raises runoff concerns after patio grading; board continues hearing to allow revised drainage plan

Chair Dawn Filibert opened a hearing on miscellaneous application MS2503 from Somdep (Shomdep) Chatterjee, who sought a permit to alter grade at 165 Windswept Lane to establish a flat lawn adjacent to a new 1,200-square-foot patio with two pergolas. The applicant said contractors used a mix of excavated soil and about "70 yards" of brought-in fill while building the patio and that he had obtained pergola permits but not a separate fill permit before the fill was delivered.

Sherry Daniels, speaking for the Highland Crossing Homeowners Association, said the HOA owns land directly below the applicant’s property and reported that, after heavy rain in October, "a lot of water came out of that pipe" onto the HOA driveway and land. She asked the board for clarity on final grading, where any retaining walls would be placed and "how the stormwater runoff [will] be controlled to prevent impact on our property." Board members pressed the applicant and his contractor to locate the current discharge point on a site plan and either move the patio discharge to where surface runoff originally drained or extend the ditch line along the driveway so water returns to the prior flow path. The board voted to continue the hearing to Jan. 20, 2026, to allow the applicant to submit a revised plan and contractor input.

The board discussed technical options including relocating the discharge closer to existing contours and ditch lines, lengthening the ditch line to capture redirected flow, or having the contractor modify the outlet at the applicant’s expense. A neighbor, Vince Bolduc, spoke in support of the project but the HOA’s concern about altered flow and downstream impacts remained central to the board’s decision to defer final action until the applicant supplies clearer mapping and a proposed remedy.