Christine O’Grady was welcomed as the new town planner during the recent Chatham Planning Board meeting. The chair highlighted O’Grady’s impressive professional background, including her role as planning director in Dartmouth and city planner in Newport, Rhode Island, and a 20-year career as a senior planner with CDR Maguire. Her experience is particularly relevant given Chatham’s status as a seaside community. The Board expressed their enthusiasm for O’Grady joining the team.

In other business, the Planning Board addressed a request for a recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals concerning a driveway reconfiguration on Seapine Road, located within a Conservancy district. The application, presented by David Clark of Clark Engineering, plans to replace the existing paved driveway with a semi-pervious gravel surface, resulting in a slight increase of impervious surface area due to the new driveway apron. However, the overall project would reduce the impervious area by converting a portion of the driveway within the floodplain to a gravel surface. The Board inquired about the project’s potential impact on the flow of water and confirmed that the new driveway would not obstruct it.

After discussion, the Board voted unanimously to send a positive recommendation to the Zoning Board of Appeals, stipulating that the driveway must be constructed of permeable material to allow the unobstructed flow of water. This recommendation aligns with the Board’s standard conditions for driveways within the Conservancy district.