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Planning board treats Owls Nest lodge as sketch plan amid septic and historic‑wall concerns
Summary
Applicants said they will return the Owls Nest lodge (eight rooms) to operation and asked the board to treat the submittal as a sketch plan. Members and applicants discussed a decades‑unused septic system (designed for three bedrooms but reportedly sized larger), cross‑county wastewater jurisdiction and a potentially historic retaining wall partly in Delaware County.
The board reviewed a sketch‑plan presentation for the Owls Nest lodge, a property proposed to return to historic use with roughly eight guest rooms and associated parking and patio work.
Applicants said the lodge has been vacant for about 20 years and that the existing septic was designed by an engineer for a three‑bedroom layout but "made it a bit bigger" with potential to add a spur connection if needed. Board members emphasized the need for a licensed septic engineer to verify the system and raised concerns that portions of the existing retaining wall and some site features lie in Delaware County, which could require coordination with that county's officials.
Board members and participants discussed potential impacts of new patio pavers and runoff flowing downhill into adjacent Delaware County parcels. Members described the submittal as a sketch plan and debated whether the project was "limited in scope" under local rules; after discussion a motion to approve the submission as presented passed by roll call with several members voting yes, two members voting no, and one abstention recorded.
"We're going back to an historic established use," an applicant said, describing the plan to revive the lodge before pursuing any restaurant reopening.
