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Bedford Planning Board tables 15‑lot Wallace Road subdivision after neighbors raise wetland, PFAS and water concerns
Summary
The board paused action on Potter Properties’ proposed 15‑lot subdivision at 410 Wallace Road, citing outstanding water‑supply, wetlands and ecological mitigation questions raised by DES, the Conservation Commission and abutters. The applicant offered deed‑restriction proposals and roadway alternatives; the Board asked for more technical detail and returned the item to Aug. 17.
The Bedford Planning Board on July 13 deferred a decision on Potter Properties’ proposed 15‑lot subdivision at 410 Wallace Road after extended discussion about wetlands impacts, municipal water service and potential effects on nearby wells.
Applicant representatives said they have been working with state agencies and town departments on a range of technical issues, including a proposed 13‑acre deed restriction on Lot 5 and multiple roadway layouts intended to reduce impacts to the Spring Hill neighborhood and nearby wetlands. George Chadwick of Bedford Design told the Board the team had met with the Highway Safety Committee, which supported a recommendation to lower the speed limit to 25 miles per hour for the new road, and that they are pursuing state wetland and alteration-of-terrain permits. “We’re attempting to offer to the state this deed restriction, and again it is a deed restriction versus a conservation easement at this point,” Chadwick said, describing the no‑build restriction the applicant offered for the rear of Lot 5.
Neighbors and the Bedford Conservation Commission urged greater avoidance and stronger protections. Conservation Commission vice chair Joanne Smith told the Board the wetlands on the site are part of a larger Riddle Brook complex that supports state‑listed species and recommended requiring non‑disturbance deed restrictions or conservation easements on multiple lots and incorporation of New Hampshire Fish and Game measures for Blanding’s and spotted turtles. Multiple abutters also raised groundwater concerns tied to PFAS and road‑salt contamination; Denise Ricciardi said, “Setting aside the PFAS situation, Magazine Street doesn't use their wells. Our wells were contaminated years ago,” and urged more alternatives to reduce wetland impacts.
Planning staff and Board members said substantive technical questions remain — notably whether the development must extend municipal water, how DES’s ecological stipulations will be satisfied, and details about ledge removal and construction‑period protections — and suggested the applicant return with clearer engineering responses. The Board voted 7–0 to table the item to its Aug. 17 meeting so those issues can be addressed.
