Littleton Board of Health Denies Commercial Septic Variance in Split Vote

LITTLETON -- July 12, 2023, Littleton Board of Health denies key septic variance for commercial project at 1 Monarch Drive in a 3-2 vote. The July 12 meeting saw unanimous approvals for residential septic replacements at 47 Warren Street and 99 Hartwell Avenue, both involving failed systems and Presby innovative alternative leaching systems with two-foot groundwater offset reductions granted under DEP approval. The Monarch Drive case, linked to a new industrial building under construction next door, stalled when the board voted 3-2 against granting depth-of-cover and groundwater separation variances, with Chair Dan Kane and members Kevin Davis and Matt Wason in the majority. Kane raised a pointed concern about the engineering process, saying he expected "a professional Title 5 engineer working on a project with this scope" to have flagged the cover-depth variance requirement independently. Project owner Steve Gallagher told the board the permitting process had consumed six months and placed a tenant agreement at risk. The board also moved forward on drafting a code of conduct and a letter to the Select Board supporting a grade-17 designation for a new health director position.