Walpole Planning Board Defers Jiffy Mart Approval, Tables Height Restrictions
by Chuck Bingaman, Contributing Writer
Walpole’s Planning Board Tuesday evening recommended that the Zoning Board approve a special exception for Champlain Oil’s extending its proposed gas station/convenience project into the agricultural district west of Rt. 12 but deferred approval of the full site plan application for possible design adjustments before the January meeting.
In addition, the Board tabled three warrant articles related to possible height restrictions on new construction in the commercial district and decided instead to consider more nuanced plans including planned unit developments in future revisions of the zoning ordinance and master plan.
Jiffy Mart Pushed to January
Bryan Cairns, vice-president of Champlain Oil opened the hearing by reciting several ways the company had tweaked its site proposal for safety and aesthetic purposes based on Planning Board comments and questions from October.
* the diesel fuel tank had been pulled in under the parking lot surface and the single large storm water filtration pool had been broken into two pools, thus keeping the fuel farther from the storm water
* vegetative filter strips had been added to both sides of the property to further prevent spills from getting into the soil and aquifer underneath
* trees had been added to the plan on the north side of the lot to block it from view of houses to the north.
Cairns answered many Board and audience questions about safety procedures to prevent fuel from spilling and entering the aquifer. While he recited many design and procedural features to prevent fuel spills and to deal with them if they occur, many in the audience and some on the Board seemed skeptical. “There’s always a way an accident can happen,” noted audience member Max Imhoff.
Despite the audience’s and some Board members’ remaining concerns, a motion to hire a third-party expert to take another look at the plan for possible safety improvements failed. Rather, a motion to table the plan until January--with the understanding that it was generally approved but for a few minor design items to be considered such as the town design standards for the building--was passed 4-3 with chairman Jeff Miller casting a deciding vote.
Proposed Commercial District Height Limit Articles
Board member Ben Daviss outlined the Board’s proposed height limits of 35 feet or three stories for new construction in the commercial district and its thinking behind them. He noted that other towns have such limits and that the most recent survey of town voters showed that their primary concern was the maintenance of a rural atmosphere and look and the prevention of commercial sprawl.
Walpole resident Jed Pellerin, also an architect and principal in Avanru Development, argued that a specific height restriction, particularly one as low as 35 feet, would likely have the opposite effect and encourage strip mall development where developers could not build up. Rather, he suggested that a better way to preserve open space and to encourage less sprawl would be to allow buildings in the commercial zone of four or five stories that could have retail space on the ground floor and office space and housing on higher floors.
Rob Kasper, also an Avanru principal, suggested that the board instead consider including “planned unit development” possibilities in the zoning ordinance that would enable developers and town planners to have more flexibility in achieving their goals while avoiding strip mall development.
The Board decided--by unanimous vote--to table the warrant article proposal on specific height limitations and to look into the planned unit development concept.
Notes: Proposed store hours for the Jiffy Mart convenience store/gas station/fast food outlet are 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m....The measured water table under the proposed store appears to be about 15 feet below the surface....Any spills of 3 gallons or more of fuel have to be reported to state authorities; of Champlain Oil's 150 stations in Vermont and New Hampshire, none has reported a spill in the past 9 months according to VP Cairns....Cairns explained the Vermont imposition of a $20,000 civil penalty on Champlain in August as a failure of employees to "push a 'print' button to run out required reports."....The town aquifer over which the project would be built supplies about 15% of the town's water at this time....Champlain Oil did NOT consult the town's design guidelines in planning its building but promised to do so before the January meeting....While Champlain asked the NH DOT for two entrance/exits from the space, it will be limited to a single 36 foot entrance/exit.
by Chuck Bingaman, Contributing Writer
Walpole’s Planning Board Tuesday evening recommended that the Zoning Board approve a special exception for Champlain Oil’s extending its proposed gas station/convenience project into the agricultural district west of Rt. 12 but deferred approval of the full site plan application for possible design adjustments before the January meeting.
In addition, the Board tabled three warrant articles related to possible height restrictions on new construction in the commercial district and decided instead to consider more nuanced plans including planned unit developments in future revisions of the zoning ordinance and master plan.
Jiffy Mart Pushed to January
Bryan Cairns, vice-president of Champlain Oil opened the hearing by reciting several ways the company had tweaked its site proposal for safety and aesthetic purposes based on Planning Board comments and questions from October.
* the diesel fuel tank had been pulled in under the parking lot surface and the single large storm water filtration pool had been broken into two pools, thus keeping the fuel farther from the storm water
* vegetative filter strips had been added to both sides of the property to further prevent spills from getting into the soil and aquifer underneath
* trees had been added to the plan on the north side of the lot to block it from view of houses to the north.
Cairns answered many Board and audience questions about safety procedures to prevent fuel from spilling and entering the aquifer. While he recited many design and procedural features to prevent fuel spills and to deal with them if they occur, many in the audience and some on the Board seemed skeptical. “There’s always a way an accident can happen,” noted audience member Max Imhoff.
Despite the audience’s and some Board members’ remaining concerns, a motion to hire a third-party expert to take another look at the plan for possible safety improvements failed. Rather, a motion to table the plan until January--with the understanding that it was generally approved but for a few minor design items to be considered such as the town design standards for the building--was passed 4-3 with chairman Jeff Miller casting a deciding vote.
Proposed Commercial District Height Limit Articles
Board member Ben Daviss outlined the Board’s proposed height limits of 35 feet or three stories for new construction in the commercial district and its thinking behind them. He noted that other towns have such limits and that the most recent survey of town voters showed that their primary concern was the maintenance of a rural atmosphere and look and the prevention of commercial sprawl.
Walpole resident Jed Pellerin, also an architect and principal in Avanru Development, argued that a specific height restriction, particularly one as low as 35 feet, would likely have the opposite effect and encourage strip mall development where developers could not build up. Rather, he suggested that a better way to preserve open space and to encourage less sprawl would be to allow buildings in the commercial zone of four or five stories that could have retail space on the ground floor and office space and housing on higher floors.
Rob Kasper, also an Avanru principal, suggested that the board instead consider including “planned unit development” possibilities in the zoning ordinance that would enable developers and town planners to have more flexibility in achieving their goals while avoiding strip mall development.
The Board decided--by unanimous vote--to table the warrant article proposal on specific height limitations and to look into the planned unit development concept.
Notes: Proposed store hours for the Jiffy Mart convenience store/gas station/fast food outlet are 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m....The measured water table under the proposed store appears to be about 15 feet below the surface....Any spills of 3 gallons or more of fuel have to be reported to state authorities; of Champlain Oil's 150 stations in Vermont and New Hampshire, none has reported a spill in the past 9 months according to VP Cairns....Cairns explained the Vermont imposition of a $20,000 civil penalty on Champlain in August as a failure of employees to "push a 'print' button to run out required reports."....The town aquifer over which the project would be built supplies about 15% of the town's water at this time....Champlain Oil did NOT consult the town's design guidelines in planning its building but promised to do so before the January meeting....While Champlain asked the NH DOT for two entrance/exits from the space, it will be limited to a single 36 foot entrance/exit.