Planning Board requires special‑event license for third‑party rentals at Camp Rocky Farm, continues final review to June 16

The Planning Board considered a unified development plan review and a category‑2 special‑use permit for Camp Rocky Farm, a 6.3‑acre Girl Scouts property near Olney Pond. After presentation by applicant representative Michael Monti and testimony by CEO Dana Borelli Murray, the board and abutters discussed concerns about rental listings on the organization’s site, stormwater runoff, parking and emergency access.

Abutter Rachel Connorton described the camp’s proximity to homes and said the Girl Scouts’ website suggested properties could be rented for weddings or reunions; she asked what would prevent such uses from becoming routine. The applicant said the site has historically been used as a charitable institution, engineers have proposed a stormwater management system, and that special events beyond routine Girl Scout programming would require a separate special‑event permit from City Council. The board voted unanimously to adopt a condition stating: if the property is rented to a third party for use, it will require a special‑event license approved by City Council.

Architects also testified the Mariner Cabin occupancy will be capped (architect stated 60 persons for the new cabin; the existing lodge capacity is a little north of 60) and that the proposal includes 10 formal parking spaces and widened driveway for emergency vehicles. Staff recommended, and the board agreed, that staff and the applicant work on clarified conditional language in the two weeks before the June 16 special meeting; the Camp Rocky Farm application was continued to that date so the applicant can present full engineering, a complete plan set and refined conditions.