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Developers expand White Lake Woods plan; conservation commissioners press for clearer ecological documentation
Summary
Horizons Engineering presented an expansion to the White Lake Woods earth‑excavation permit that increases buffers around a kettle bog; Conservation Commission sought firmer Natural Heritage Bureau documentation and the board granted waivers and conditional approval pending state DES/AOT sign‑off.
The Planning Board reviewed a proposed expansion of the White Lake Woods earth‑excavation project and heard extended questions from the Conservation Commission about wetlands, buffers and Natural Heritage Bureau (NHB) input.
Bryan Walsh of Horizons Engineering said the revised plan "increased the buffer around the kettle bog system" and described a raised floor elevation; he estimated seasonal high groundwater "about 7 feet, approximately." Conservation Commission chair Ned Beecher pressed for firmer documentation of the NHB correspondence and asked whether the kettle hole ponds could be peatland systems requiring different setbacks. "We would like to have the land given to them" was how Curtis Coleman characterized part of the Conservation Commission's interest, and Nick Grant said the exchange risked delaying the project: "this is getting to obstruction at this point." The minutes record an apology by Ned for any miscommunication about boundary adjustments.
After public discussion the board closed the hearing at 6:38 p.m., granted the listed waivers (motion by Matt Dunn, seconded by Lianne Prentice) and then approved conditional site approval dependent on DES/AOT review and the previously granted waivers (motion by Nick Grant, seconded by Andy Fisher). The board required that state AOT approval and any additional documentation be provided before construction proceeds.
