Planning Board — November 5, 2025
A board member voted on a property their family once owned — with no formal conflict-of-interest declaration — as Amherst's Planning Board advanced a towing facility over an already-compromised aquifer.
The meeting was largely procedural and unified, but underlying tension around aquifer contamination risk, a board member's undisclosed prior ownership of the reviewed parcel, and the anticipation of a high-turnout deferred application give the session a mildly elevated tone above a fully routine meeting.
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📋 AMHERST PLANNING BOARD — November 5, 2025 Meeting Recap
Two issues from last Wednesday's Planning Board meeting deserve public attention.
🔵 GROUNDWATER RISK: The board reviewed a site plan for Pence Service Station and Towing — an 11,728 square foot building with a garage and outdoor storage for wrecked vehicles, located over or near an aquifer that a board member described at the meeting as already compromised. The concern is straightforward: wrecked vehicles leak fluids, garages use oils and chemicals, and the site sits in a sensitive groundwater zone. The board unanimously approved the application as substantially complete and required environmental safeguards — oil separators, spill prevention planning, concrete slabs with membranes under both the garage and vehicle storage areas, and a rule that no vehicles can be stored more than 30 days. Those are real conditions. But the critical third-party technical review hasn't happened yet. That review is scheduled before the January 7 continuation hearing. Residents who rely on wells or municipal water sourced near this area should be paying attention.
🔴 CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST CONCERN: During the hearing, a board member disclosed that their family previously owned the Pence parcel. The disclosure was made informally, as background context about the property's septic history. There was no formal conflict-of-interest declaration entered into the record, no recusal request, and no recusal offered. The board member voted on every motion related to this application, including the vote finding it complete. Whether or not prior ownership legally requires recusal under New Hampshire planning board rules, this is exactly the kind of personal connection that conflict-of-interest procedures are designed to address transparently. An informal, mid-hearing comment is not a substitute for a formal process.
📅 UPCOMING MEETINGS TO KNOW: A separate major application — expected to draw large public attendance — was deferred from the regular meeting location to Souhegan High School auditorium. That hearing is scheduled for **November 18 at 7:30pm**. The Pence Service Station application continues at a regular Planning Board meeting on **January 7**. If either of these issues concerns you, those are the meetings to attend or watch.
Public impact
An 11,728 sq ft service station and towing/wrecked vehicle storage facility proposed over an already-compromised aquifer; board-mandated safeguards required but third-party technical review still pending as of January 7 continuation.
Topics discussed
The board decided to defer a major application hearing to November 18th at 7:30pm at Souhegan High School auditorium due to the large expected attendance and space constraints.
Review of application for Pence Service Station/Pence Towing to construct an 11,728 square foot building with associated site improvements, including completeness review and public hearing.
Board reviewed and approved minutes from the October 15, 2025 meeting with corrections to statements attributed to George Bauer and clarification about sidewalk comments.
Controversy & dissent
Potentially controversial issues
Groundwater Contamination Risk from Pence Service Station/Towing Facility
Board Member Personal Connection to Pence Service Station Property
Deferral of Large Application to High School Venue
Community vs. board tension
Public comment
Decisions logged
Action items
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