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08/20/2018 12:00 AMResidents hoping to speak at the Planning & Zoning Commission public hearing for the Valley Railroad Company (VRC) proposal for revamped parking at Deep River Station got some disappointing news that morning: The hearing was canceled. The reason why may be better received by the many vocal opponents of the proposal, however, as the proposal has been withdrawn.
A town-wide email went out early on Aug. 16 canceling the hearing, which was set to accept evidence for or against, written or oral, the VRC application for a special permit to modify a parking area at the Deep River Train Depot at 152 River Street that VRC leases from Department of Energy & Environmental Protection. If approved, the application would allow passengers for the Becky Thatcher riverboat to arrive for seasonal boat charters directly by automobile rather than by steam train.
According to Attorney John Bennet, who is representing VRC, a hard copy letter, approximately two paragraphs long, was dropped off at the Deep River Town Hall the morning of Aug. 15 notifying the town that WRC was withdrawing its application for a special permit for the project at this time.
Bennet did not wish to further comment on the matter at this time.
Many residents had raised questions and concerns about the proposal at a June 21 Planning & Zoning Commission meeting, with a focus on increased traffic on residential streets and wetlands impact at the site. At the Aug. 9 Conservation & Inland Wetlands Commission (CIWC) meeting, however, the application for the Deep River Station Depot parking and access way improvements to the existing parking/storage area was approved with revisions.
The CIWC had received a petitioned for a public hearing on the matter, however, the CIWC did not grant the hearing based on the fact that the commissioners did not deem this project’s impact to the wetlands in the area as a significant issue, which warranted a public hearing on the matter.