The Cohasset Planning Board unanimously approved a land alteration special permit for a new single-family home at 58 Gammons Road on Wednesday, with several members praising the project’s detailed presentation as a new benchmark for future applications under the town's updated bylaw. The project, presented by Kevin Grady of Grady Consulting on behalf of homeowners Clive and Jill Standish, involves replacing an existing, outdated house with a modern home, a new turnaround driveway, and a pool terrace, requiring the removal of 94 cubic yards of ledge.

Grady walked the board through a comprehensive set of plans that graphically detailed existing ledge, areas slated for removal, and locations where new ledge would be exposed as mitigation. "We are trying to work with the grid to minimize tree clearing, minimize ledge removal, and try to maintain the character of the lot as is," Grady explained. The project's peer reviewer, Pat Brennan of PGB Engineering, confirmed that the applicants had revised their initial plans to align with the town's new regulations, ultimately reducing the amount of ledge removed and more than doubling the required mitigation by proposing to expose 1,000 square feet of new ledge face.

The board was highly receptive to the thoroughness of the application. Vice Chair Clark Brewer called the visual approach a new standard, stating, "The graphic approach to the locations of ledge exposure and ledge removal and existing ledge makes this very easy to understand. I'm hoping that all ledge applications do something like what you've done here." Member Deirdre Hobson, who noted she frequently walks the area, agreed, complimenting the applicants for their sensitive approach. "You have so far that I've seen... touched very gently" a unique piece of property, she said.

Despite the praise, the board carefully scrutinized the details. Member Amy Glasmeier questioned the new home’s proximity to wetland buffer zones and its potential height, asking, "What's the height of the building going to be? It's got a very tall chimney." Maryanne Weatherall, representing the Open Space Committee, raised concerns during public comment about potential runoff from the new construction and pool affecting a nearby saltwater pond. In response, Chair Kevin Heine noted that such drainage issues would be a condition of approval. The most significant discussion came from Member Birgit Schmidt-Wesche, who emphasized the bylaw's core principle of comparing the volume of a proposed structure to the volume of ledge that must be removed. "The primary question to answer is the volume of the structure versus the volume of the ledge to be removed," she argued, leading to a key condition being added to the final approval.

The hearing concluded with a motion solidifying the board's decision. Motion Made by Clark Brewer to approve the special permit subject to the applicant providing additional volume calculations as described previously. The motion was seconded and passed with a unanimous vote. Motion Passed 5-0. Homeowner Jill Standish assured the board of their commitment to improving the property, which they live next to, noting, "Since we live on Little Harbor currently, there's a little bit of self-policing that goes on. Believe me, if there is a light that no one likes, we hear about it."