KEENE, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) After months of tense hearings and split votes, the Keene Planning Board on Monday approved a controversial expansion of a gravel pit along Route 9, attaching a long list of conditions aimed at protecting nearby residents, roads, and waterways.

The board voted 7–1 to grant an earth excavation permit to G2 Holdings LLC, represented by Granite Engineering, for the project at 21 and 57 Route 9. Board member Armando Rangel cast the sole dissenting vote, citing lingering concerns about noise, traffic safety, and property values.

The decision comes just weeks after the board deadlocked on the same application, leaving the project in limbo. This time, members said they felt the applicant had addressed enough of their concerns to move forward, though several acknowledged the decision was difficult.

Conditions on the permit

Among the requirements are measures designed to limit environmental and neighborhood impacts. G2 Holdings must:

  • Replant cleared areas with native tree species as part of site reclamation.

  • Submit a traffic management plan if vehicle trips exceed 90 per day or eight peak hour.

  • Apply for an updated driveway permit from the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and report back any recommendations.

  • Install seismographs within two miles of the site to monitor blasting, with independent third-party oversight.

  • Halt blasting if state vibration or air-overpressure standards are exceeded until corrective measures are approved.

  • Maintain a $5 million liability insurance policy covering damage to structures, wells, and groundwater or surface water contamination within a two-mile radius.

The company will also be responsible for ongoing monitoring of stormwater, groundwater, and erosion control, with reports submitted to the city.

Public concerns linger

The permit approval does not end opposition to the project, which would enlarge the pit in phases across more than 100 acres. Neighbors from Keene, Sullivan, and Roxbury have voiced fears that blasting could damage homes and wells, that truck traffic on Route 9 would worsen safety hazards, and that the rural character of the area would be lost.

Residents also questioned whether G2 can be trusted to honor conditions, pointing to past disputes at the company’s other pits in Keene and Gilsum.

Board vice chair Roberta Mastrogiovanni acknowledged those worries, stressing that enforcement now falls to the city.

Next steps

Because the proposed operation spans the Keene–Sullivan town line, the project also requires approval from Sullivan officials. The Sullivan Zoning Board is scheduled to meet Oct. 15 on the matter.

Meanwhile, opponents are preparing to appeal Keene’s decision. Sullivan resident Jim Manley, a major abutter and one of the project’s most vocal critics, said Monday night that residents will challenge the ruling in hopes of stopping the expansion.