Minutes of the April 21, 2005 Meeting
Members Present:
Fred Anderson Bob Bethel Scott Burnside
Bob Edwards Ron Haggett Renee Rabideau
Ed Rowehl Brian Sawich
Members Absent: None
Public attendees:
Ruthie Herne James Herne Mary Wardman
Alex Snow Cynthia Crockett Susan Bartlett
Chris Rawnsley Wayne Elliot Shirley Elliot
Linda Bundy Jane Lauber Steve Lauber
Gayle Rochford, LLS Andrew Roblee
Chairman Burnside opened the meeting at 7:00 PM by appointing Ms. Rabideau to sit for Mr. Sawich. Members reviewed the application of Mr. Sawich for a change of use to operate a tourist home and determined there was sufficient information to schedule a public hearing for May 19, 2005. Mr. Rowehl then moved to approve the minutes of the April 7, 2005 meeting as corrected. Mr. Edwards seconded the motion which passed. The secretary distributed a current roster of members of the board.
The secretary then introduced Mr. Alexander Snow who had expressed an interest in serving on the board. Mr. Snow stated that he was retired and had been a resident of Antrim for approximately four years and he gave a brief description of his educational and work background. He indicated that he was interested in working on economic development and the master plan. Mr. Haggett moved to appoint Mr. Snow as an alternate member of the board. Mr. Edwards seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Mr. Haggett gave an overview of the approach he was planning to take to update the Capital Improvement Plan and the Master Plan. He has reviewed the CIP of other towns and has come up with ideas of where to improve the Antrim plan, especially in the area of having substantiating information. The first step will be to develop a form to survey the various town departments as to their needs being careful to differentiate between capital needs and maintenance needs. He feels that once a basic CIP is developed, the work on updating the master plan can begin. Mr. Haggett’s next step is to set up a meeting with Messrs Prokop, Vasques, Sawich and Snow as a standing committee.
Mr. Bethel had to leave on an emergency call and Mr. Sawich was appointed to sit for him.
At 7:30 PM Mr. Burnside continued the public hearing from April 7, 2005 on the request of Mary Wardman for a Change of Use for property located at 111 Old Pound Road, Antrim, NH 03440 Tax Map 5, Lot 87 in the Rural District. The applicant proposes to sell flowers, herbs, edible products and garden related crafts and gifts. Mr. Edwards reported on the results of a site review. He indicated that the use of the driveway and the work areas were appropriate. They were not able to observe any problems with the property boundaries with any abutters but if any existed they would be beyond the jurisdiction of the planning board and would be a civil matter. Mr. Edwards was not clear on the need for a change of use. The secretary explained that the property use was being changed from residential to a home based occupation which requires a change of use
hearing before the board. Mr. Haggett who participated in the site review stated that there did not to appear to be any impact on traffic or any affect on the neighborhood. Mr. Haggett moved to waive the requirement of approval by the Fire Chief. Mr. Rowehl seconded the motion which passed unanimously. Mr. Edwards moved to accept the application of Mary Wardman, File # 2005-04PB for a Change of Use of property located at 111 Old Pound Road, Antrim, NH, Tax Map 5 Lot 87 located in the Rural District. The applicant proposes to sell flowers, herbs, edible products and garden related crafts and gifts. Mr. Haggett Seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Fred Anderson – aye, Bob Edwards – aye, Ron Haggett – aye, Renee Rabideau – aye, Ed Rowehl – aye, Brian Sawich – aye.
Mr. Haggett moved to conditionally approve the application of Mary Wardman, File # 2005-04PB for a Change of Use of property located at 111 Old Pound Road, Antrim, NH, Tax Map 5 Lot 87 located in the Rural District. The applicant proposes to sell flowers, herbs, edible products and garden related crafts and gifts. The following conditions apply to this approval:
Planning Board requirements, commitments and agreements made by the applicant and/or his agent as recorded in the meeting minutes dated April 7, 2005 and April 21, 2005 as they pertain to this application are a conditional part of this approval.
The applicant is to obtain a building permit for any construction or alteration and adhere to all building, health and fire codes.
Mr. Edwards seconded the motion. Roll call vote: Fred Anderson – aye, Bob Edwards – aye, Ron Haggett – aye, Renee Rabideau – aye, Ed Rowehl – aye, Brian Sawich – aye. Ms. Wardman was advised that the change of use was granted and she would receive official notification in the mail.
Chairman Burnside then opened the public hearing on the request of Jane & Burtis Lauber for a Major Subdivision. The applicant proposes to subdivide property off of Pierce Lake Road and Ashley Road, Antrim, NH, Tax Map 7, Lots 19 & 20 in the Rural District into ten (10) lots. Ms. Rochford presented a new set of drawings which incorporated some of the changes requested by the Town Planner. She said that rather then annex a portion of lots 20-8 and 20-9 to the Cook/Lord property, the Laubers were going to create a 50 foot no cut area along the Cook/Lord property lines. Abutters were allowed to approach the table and ask questions of Ms. Rochford. Discussion followed regarding the classification of Ashley Road and the town’s responsibility. Mr. Haggett is to check with the selectman that the upgrading of Ashley Road to Class V
specifications without the town maintaining it is acceptable to town council. Ms. Crockett asked at what point any waivers would be granted. She was advised that they would be during public hearings and as part of the final review of the checklist. Mr. Roblee asked if there would be any reason why the board would not grant a waiver request. Mr. Haggett explained that waivers were granted on a case-by-case basis according to specific circumstances. Ms. Crockett asked if the subdivision could be redesigned to have larger lot sizes rather then the minimum required by the ordinance. Ms. Rochford explained that a number of the lots already exceed the area required by the ordinance. Ms. Bartlett was concerned about the impact that the increased traffic would have on the roads, in particular, Elm Avenue. Ms. Rabideau asked if wetland permits had been applied for and was told that they would be submitted. Members then reviewed a series of items raised by the Town Planner which were
resolved as follows:
1. Note 5 on drawing 6 will be rewritten to reflect the fact that the portion of Ashley Road from Elm Ave. to the junction with Green Ridge Road will be maintained by a homeowners association.
2. “Class V specifications” on note 6 drawing 6 will be changed to “current Town regulations”.
3. Wetland scientist stamps will be on all drawings showing the delineation of wetlands.
4. The applicant feels that detailed engineering drawings are not necessary for the upgrading of Ashley Road. They feel that since there already is a base all that is required is to improve the road to the satisfaction of the road agent. The members decided to delay any decisions pending the peer review by Underwood Engineering.
5. The applicant submitted a written request for a waiver to the 50-foot split requirement for a shared driveway to minimize the impact to wetlands.
6. The locations of test pits on lots 20-2 & 20-4 shown on sheet 3 are acceptable.
7. Deeded easements will be prepared for the shared driveway.
8. The secretary will solicit written comments from The Police Dept., the Road Agent and the Fire Chief
9. The conservation easement will be written into the deeds.
10. A legend for the dotted lines will be added to sheets 4 & 5.
11. An owner’s association agreement will be provided to the planning board.
There being no further discussion, Mr. Burnside continued the public hearing until 7:30 PM on May 19, 2005.
Members reviewed a letter to Mr. Gross advising him that any Intent to Excavate request he might file would not be signed by the selectman since he had not submitted his application for a Town permit to operate an excavation site. Members were advised that 90-day temporary permits were issued to Mr. Jones and Mr. Chauncey and that an annual permit would be issued to Mr. Harriman. Discussion followed regarding the establishment of a procedure to inspect the sites according to the operating standard and reclamation standard checklists. The consensus of the board was that the Code Enforcement Officer’s workload would probably not allow the time to cover excavation sites. A possible candidate would be Mr. Garrett, a former board member who was familiar with the excavation site regulations, was a civil engineer and being retired would
probably have the time to perform the inspections. Mr. Haggett said that he will place the matter before the selectmen and pursue the possibility of using Mr. Garrett. Mr. Burnside stated that work on the reclamation plan for Mr. Chauncey was proceeding. One change being made was that rather then leave the detention area as a depression; it was being proposed to create a pond. Meridian Land Services is in the process of designing it. Mr. Burnside said a waiver would be requested to dig below the 4-foot level above the high water table and he acknowledged that once the pond is dug it would be classified as a wetland.
Mr. Edwards reported that he Open Space Committee had designated various types of lands which should be considered for placing into conservation easements. He explained that the committee was working on maps with various overlays to identify the different types of lands. The committee was also planning to arrange for a speaker from the Society of the Preservation of NH Forests to speak at a meeting.
Mr. Edwards presented a list of candidates from various sectors of the community to serve on a Growth committee as follows: Bob Edwards – Planning Board, Paul Young – Zoning Board, Paul Hardwick – Real Estate Industry, Dan Valley – Building Trades Industry, Rick Edmunds – Retail, Ben Pratt – Municipality, and Cynthia Crockett – Citizen at Large. Some thought that Mr. Valley might be too busy to serve and that perhaps Mr. John Kendall would represent the Building Trades. Mr. Burnside offered his services if either Mr. Valley or Mr. Kendall could not participate. Members also felt that a representative of the Conservation Committee would be an asset to the committee. The consensus was that Mr. Edwards should proceed to form the committee.
The secretary presented a draft of by-laws to be reviewed by the members and to be discussed at the next meeting. He then proposed the addition of and increase of some hearing fees. Mr. Haggett moved that the following changes be adopted:
1. Addition of a $50 fee for a conceptual consultation
2. Addition of a $75 fee for a PSNH hearing on scenic roads
3. An increase from $75 to $100 for an Annexation, a lot Line Adjustment and a Lot Merger
4. An increase from $150 + $50/lot over 4 lots for a Major Subdivision to $400 + $75/lot over 4 lots.
Mr. Anderson seconded the motion which passed unanimously.
Mr. Edwards had suggested at the March 17, 2005 meeting that the board establish some goals and objectives for 2005. The secretary submitted the following list which is not meant to be all-inclusive or in order of priority.
1. Update the Master Plan
2. Update the Capital Improvement Plan
3. Develop a new ordinance for Cluster Housing
4. Develop an ordinance for storage trailers
5. Establish a system and designate someone to inspect excavation sites once a year and verify activity
6. Rewrite the regulations for excavation sites to simplify it and incorporate RSA 155:E by reference
7. Incorporate new requirements for surveyors into our subdivision regulations
8. Rewrite our Wetland District Ordinance to reflect recent new laws established by the State
9. Develop a basis for a growth ordinance, should we chose to implement one
10. Review our ordinances to be sure we are using and encouraging “Smart Growth” practices and policies
It was suggested that the board should also visit the matter of multi-family housing.
The secretary indicated that he will attempt to make a greater effort to update the ordinances and regulations by placing drafts in front of the members for debate.
Mr. Edwards moved that the meeting be adjourned. Mr. Anderson seconded the motion which passed. Mr. Burnside adjourned the meeting at 10:35 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Paul L, Vasques, Secretary
Antrim Planning Board
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