Northampton Conservation Commission Continues Stone Ridge Drive Driveway Hearing, Seeks Buffer Zone Redesign

NORTHAMPTON — April 9, 2026 — Northampton Conservation Commission continues Stone Ridge Drive driveway hearing, citing buffer zone concerns. The commission voted 6-0 at its April 9 meeting to continue a public hearing on a notice of intent filed by Sunwood Builders for construction of a shared gravel driveway serving two new single-family homes at 17 and 39 Stone Ridge Drive, with the hearing set to resume April 23 at 5:30 p.m. Engineer Chris Baker of Berkshire Design Group acknowledged the driveway clips the 100-foot wetland buffer zone in two locations and that the project sits at 99.35 percent of the one-acre disturbance threshold that triggers the city's full stormwater permitting requirements. Commissioner Mason argued that a modest eastward shift of the driveway — adding only a few hundred square feet — could bring the footprint to roughly 99.81 percent of an acre while exiting the buffer entirely, saying "reasonable can't mean it's more expensive" under the wetlands ordinance. The applicant agreed to consult stormwater administrator Doug McDonald on whether the shift is feasible without triggering additional permitting. The commission also required the applicant to return with a detailed planting and soil stabilization plan — citing a large sandy gully and failing silt fencing observed on a same-day site visit — and a written operations-and-maintenance plan for two on-site infiltration basins.