NORTHFIELD — The Zoning Board of Appeals granted Lane Construction Corp. a permit to expand its gravel mining operations to a 30-acre lot to the northwest of its current property during a hearing Wednesday night.
After having conducted two separate meetings and having visited the property, the board expressed overwhelming support for the expansion.
“My sense of the site when we went to walk around was it would be hard to come up with a better situation,” said Shawn Foster, a member of the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Lane is purchasing the land from Joyce A. Roberts, who had owned it with her recently late husband William. The property offers 277,000 square yards of sand and gravel that will be mined in four phases.
The Historical Commission expressed concerns about the possible existence of cultural artifacts on the property. Joe Graveline, a member of the commission, recommended Lane have test pits shoveled every seven meters. However, the board was concerned about the unknown expense to the company, and members of the public felt finding artifacts would be unlikely.
The board included a condition in the permit stating that if any significant cultural resources are uncovered, the Historical Commission will be made aware.
Under the conditions of the permit, Lane must not mine more than five acres at a time, must not participate in blasting, must operate within the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., must not disturb any trees except those between the current property and the new property, must allow the Northfield fire and police departments to access gates to the property’s access roads, must fill in or permanently cap the well located on the site, and must add warning signs and flagging to warn of the excavation pit. Many of the conditions were carried over from Lane’s original permit granted in 1990, which has been renewed on numerous occasions.