The Rochester Conservation Commission on Tuesday night approved a commission member’s project to construct a driveway on Gerrish Road near cranberry bogs.
Commissioner Ben Bailey recused himself for the hearing that endorsed the Order of Conditions for the plan to place the driveway within the 100-foot buffer zone to a bordering, vegetative wetlands to access a single-family building lot at Snipatuit Pond Estates. But Bailey defended the proposal by noting he is deed-restricting it so that the lot can only be for one home, and the driveway must remain exactly where it is being placed now.
Brian Grady of GAF Engineering explained to the Conservation Commission that he and Bailey have spent a considerable amount of time with the Planning Board revising the original proposal, which was to build a road to access the lot. He noted the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals has approved, allowing the insufficient frontage that the plan requires. He acknowledged that the neighbors’ concerns over and disapproval of the first plan contributed to the new configuration, which will now “preserve much of the wooded area.”
“The revised plan is a much simpler project,” Grady said.
The strongest objection to the current proposal came from commissioner Dave Gagne, who was attending via Zoom. Gagne said he was concerned the driveway could evolve into a roadway to a solar project in the area of the cranberry bogs.
Bailey quickly countered that suggestion. “The ZBA is restricting it to a single-family lot,” Bailey said. “I want to deed-restrict the lot for the next owner so the driveway stays where it is and has an impervious surface. I want to protect the neighbors. A solar project? That’s a very abstract question.”
Grady noted any changes to the plan by a new owner of the property would have to come before town boards for additional permitting.
The commission’s approval vote was unanimous, and it included two previous orders of conditions previously placed on the property.
In other action, the commission endorsed a plan proposed by the Rochester Land Trust and the Library Trustees to place Trail Tale poles at the Doggett Brooks conservation restriction off of Dexter Lane. This project will post storybook pages on the poles so young readers may read and hike a nature trail at the same time. The program will take place between June and July and possibly August.
The commission also approved a change to post its meetings as in-person only with an option to attend by Zoom. Chairman Chris Gerrior explained the commission will now be able to hold a meeting with or without a secure Zoom connection. The commission set its next meeting for Tuesday, April 19, at 7:00 pm.
Rochester Conservation Commission
By Michael J. DeCicco