Bill Hull of Hull Forestlands and Rob Levesque of R. Levesque Associates.
Reminder Publishing photo by Amy Porter
HUNTINGTON — Bill Hull of Hull Forestlands Limited Partnership withdrew his application for a gravel pit on Goss Hill Road at a continued public hearing on May 6 at Stanton Hall.
Karon Hathway, chair of the Zoning Board of Appeals, said the town had submitted four proposals to Hull for traffic, noise, hydrology and silica dust studies of the site for his approval. The applicant is responsible to pay for the studies.
In response to the proposals, Hull’s attorney Michael Pill had sent a letter dated May 5, asking the town to omit the requirements for the silica dust and traffic studies, which he said were not justified, and in the case of the traffic study, redundant due to the anticipated small scale of the operation.
As an alternative, Hull’s team proposed the town apply several special permit conditions, including a self-imposed limitation of vehicle and truck trips to and from the site to minimize traffic and the keeping of daily logs; and a prohibition of crushing, grinding or other earth processing activities on the subject property that might result in the generation of respirable silica dust.
The letter also requested that the board act on its application at the May 6 hearing.
Hathaway said she had convened with board members regarding foregoing the traffic and silica dust students. She said their concern was that the Zoning Board would be left without necessary information needed for a decision. She said board members had asked to withdraw the application with prejudice or call for a vote at the meeting.
Pill, Hull and landscape architect Rob Levesque of R. Levesque Associates Inc. in Westfield, who had presented the plan for the gravel pit, asked if they could take a short break to discuss the board’s response to the letter, and left Stanton Hall to go outside.
When they returned, Pill thanked the board, and said Hull Forestlands would like to withdraw without prejudice, which leaves the door open to resubmit the application. “Those of you who are opposed, you won,” Pill said.
“Without prejudice is what has us back here today,” said Michael Brisboise of Goss Hill Road. He said if the last application, which was by another party, had been withdrawn with prejudice, “it would have been over 25 years ago.”
Levesque said to withdraw with prejudice just means the company would have to wait two years to reapply. He said the peer request studies that had been requested by the town would have cost Hull upwards of $600,000.
“In my 25 years of doing this, I have not ever seen a board not allow a withdrawal without prejudice,” Levesque said.
A vote was then taken to allow a withdrawal without prejudice, which passed with four votes in favor and one abstention.
After the meeting, Hull explained his decision. “We’re disappointed. For this silica dust study, there’s no firm quote — it’s open ended.”
Hull said the way it was quoted by RPF Environmental Testing & Consulting Services, the company would have performed measurements seven days a week for six months, charging $3,800 per week travel costs for one person, $3,000 to attend one meeting, $14,000 per week for test samples and $18,000 for written reports every two weeks. He said they calculated that it would cost $663,000 for the study.
“The town wouldn’t agree to a study like this. It was open-ended, and off the wall,” Hull said, adding, “We’re either in or going into a recession or worse. It’s not a good time for a project. We’ll just move on from here the best that we can.”
At an earlier meeting in August 2024, Hull had explained his intention for the proposal was to have Hilltown Sand & Gravel purchase and excavate the gravel for its business at 87 Worthington Rd., the former Donovan’s Sand and Gravel.
At the time Hull, who owns 1,300 acres of forest land in Huntington, said the income from the gravel pit would be used to fund the maintenance of the forests.
After the meeting, Susan Macintosh of the Conservation Commission told Hull that she appreciated all of the land that Hull Forestlands has put into conservation in Huntington.
“I think we’re the largest private landowner in the town of Huntington,” Hull said.
