Town of Wilton, NH

Excavation Site Plan Review Regulations

6.0 Additional Permit Requirements

6.1 Size and Reclamation Time Limit on New Excavations.

No excavation of a permitted area shall exceed five acres in size at any one time. In addition, the size of the area for any permitted excavation shall not exceed that area which can be reclaimed according to the approved application within a one (1) year period.

If reclamation of the site is not completed within the one (1) year permit period the Town may declare part or all of the bond forfeit, and use these monies to reclaim the site, in addition to the requirements of Section 13.0 (Issuance of Permit). At no time shall more than one permit be allowed on a lot of record.

6.2 Size and Reclamation Time Limit on Expansions of Excavations.

No expansion and reclamation of an excavation shall exceed the already disturbed area of the excavation plus five acres. However, the entire excavation area shall not exceed that area which can be reclaimed according to the approved permit within a one (1) year period. If an excavation operating at the time of adoption of this regulation cannot be reclaimed within one (1) year, no additional excavation into an undisturbed area shall be permitted until the existing excavated area is reclaimed based on an approved permit as required by this regulation. In the case of excavation in operation at the time of adoption of this regulation that is not being expanded, the permit period allowed for reclamation shall also be one (1) year.

If reclamation of the site is not completed within the one (1) year permit period the Town may declare part or all of the bond forfeit, and use these monies to reclaim the site, in addition to the requirements of Section 13.0 (Issuance of Permit). At no time shall more than one permit be allowed on a lot of record.

6.3 Excavation Sites Considered Non-Conforming.

Expansion of any site used for sand and gravel excavation is limited to such activities which are considered a permitted or allowed use in the corresponding zoning district. When an excavation is not allowed by local zoning or similar ordinances regulating the location of the excavation site in effect on August 4, 1989, expansion may be restricted or modified with conditions by order of the Planning Board if after notice to the owner and a public hearing the Board finds that such expansion will have a substantially different and adverse impact on the neighborhood.

6.4 Hours of Operation.

The hours of operation shall be determined by the Planning Board during the permit process. The level of operation and the type of neighborhood affected shall be considered by the Board in establishing these hours.

6.5 Hauling Information.

Hauling information, including routes to be utilized and average daily trips, shall be provided to the Planning Board prior to the issuance of an Excavation Permit. The Planning Board may require modifications to such plans and/or may place conditions upon such operations, depending on surrounding land uses and road conditions. The Planning Board reserves the right to conduct a traffic study at the applicant's expense to ensure that public safety, neighborhood compatibility and road capacity and condition have been properly considered and optimized in the hauling plan.