On August 20, the Rochester Conservation Commission heard a Notice of Intent (NOI) filing from Todd Cambra, 1098 Walnut Plain Road, for the construction of a 75-foot by 60-foot garage for the storage of large equipment and trucks associated with lumbering activities.
Tom Morris of Outback Engineering presented the project, noting that the site selected for construction of the garage was level, that the site disturbance would be equal to the footprint of the garage, and that the project had received Zoning Board of Appeals approval.
But commissioner Daniel Gagne was not satisfied that the applicant had exhausted all other potential locations before selecting one that included the building being within 200 feet of an unnamed perennial stream.
After asking Morris if other locations had been studied, Gagne said, “You are required to provide alternatives.”
Gagne then asked if the structure would have a roof run-off system. Morris responded, “No.”
Gagne expressed concern that, due to the size of the building and its roof, stormwater would be discharged at great volumes into the jurisdictional resource areas.
After some discussion, which included the possibility of conditioning the project to include a stormwater management system for the roof area, Gagne’s reaction was, “I don’t have enough information.”
Other commissioners felt after a site visit taken only a couple hours before the hearing began, that if a drainage system was included in the conditions, the location of the garage was not an issue.
When asked what his opinion for drainage options might be, Morris suggested large underground chambers that would allow the roof run-off to recharge into the ground slowly.
The project was accepted as presented with conditions for a stormwater system design to be reviewed by the commission prior to construction beginning.
All other hearings were continued at the request of the applicants. Those filings included a Notice of Intent by T-Mobile for the installation of a generator on property located at 98 Bowen’s Lane, continued until October 15, and three Notice of Intent filings by Joe Harrison, SunRaise Investments, for properties located at 0 Braley Road, 0 Featherbed Lane, and 0 Snipatuit Road. These three NOIs were continued until September 17.
Another NOI filed by SWEB Development for property located at 0 Marion Road was continued until September 17.
Earlier in the evening, the commission approved a Certificate of Compliance to Decas Cranberry Corporation for property located at 109 Neck Road.
The next meeting of the Rochester Conservation Commission is scheduled for September 3 at 7:00 pm in the Rochester Town Hall meeting room.
Rochester Conservation Commission
By Marilou Newell