A proposed zoning amendment is aimed at protecting the town’s wetlands and streams by adding a construction buffer and requiring additional runoff controls for certain projects.
The ordinance, which was worked on collaboratively by the Planning Board with input from the Conservation Commission, is set to be on the town’s warrant on March 8, and requires a majority vote to be incorporated into the town’s zoning ordinance.
The proposed amendment would change the town’s wetlands ordinance to add a 50-foot buffer around wetlands and perennial streams. Conservation Commission member Liz Fletcher said there is currently no buffer requirement in the ordinance at all.
“The state law doesn’t have any [wetland] buffers, either, but loads of towns in New Hampshire do,” said Fletcher.
Fletcher said in their research, the Planning Board and Conservation Commission identified 140 New Hampshire towns which have wetland buffers of varying size, with more than 80 having a restriction of 50 feet or more.
“We thought that was a reasonable thing, especially given lot sizes in Mason are bigger anyway, usually two or four acres,” Fletcher said.
Planning Board Chair Dane Rota said that the town’s master plan, which was updated in 2020, put forth a number of items to meet the plan’s goals, and one of them was putting in place a wetlands buffer. He said the Planning Board has been drafting the changes and taking feedback for more than a year.
Following public hearings in the fall, the board made several adjustments to the proposal, including clarifying the restrictions only applied to perennial streams – streams that run year-round – and not seasonal ones, and clarifying that properties already built in the buffer wouldn’t be affected.
“The board wants to ensure that the town has responsible development schemes, to protect the future of the town,” Rota said.
Fletcher said the importance of a buffer is to allow runoff water to filter through the natural vegetation before entering the wetlands. Research suggests a larger buffer – about 100 feet – is the ideal, Fletcher said, but the Planning Board and Conservation Commission compromised on 50 feet.
“The streams are very important wildlife corridors,” Fletcher said. “Highest quality habitat follows perennial streams. We want to make sure that’s protected. In Mason’s master plan, rural character was the No. 1 thing that people appreciated about Mason.”
The amendment also lays out clearer rules for controlling runoff in new construction.
“We’ve got rocky, steep land,” Fletcher said. “It benefits the residents to have a say over runoff controls when there’s a land-use change.”
Fletcher said runoff not only affected neighbors whose property could be impacted by additional water caused by construction changes, but also streams and wetlands, which could have additional sediment swept into them, causing water to be more stagnant, more weeds to grow and additional bacteria growth.
Not every new construction would be affected by the runoff requirements. As defined by state law, a “development” is a project that disturbs more than 100,000 square feet of contiguous property.
“What we’re proposing, both with direct runoff controls and the setback, would really make a difference,” Fletcher said.
Some uses, including cultivation of crops, construction of wells, wildlife habitat management and tree harvesting, could still be carried out within that buffer. The ordinance does not impact already-constructed buildings, which will be considered grandfathered, but if the buildings want to expand or be rebuilt, it would have to be outside of the buffer or the owner must seek a special exception.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 603-924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.