Conservation Commission

The Conservation Commission held its September meeting focused primarily on several pending Notices of Intent (NOIs), most notably the long-running Rocky Hill Development application. The applicant team (Lucas Environmental, Millennial Engineering, and the developer) reported having addressed peer-review comments from Beta and VHB, submitted revised plans and an operation & maintenance plan, and provided a wetland seed mix for restoration areas. Commission and peer-review discussion centered on specific special conditions — monitoring and who will serve as monitor(s), seed-mix and final tilling, snow-storage grading, long-term mowing restrictions, invasive-species management, bonds, conservation restriction language (including a Salisbury parcel), and documentation/owner approvals prior to construction. Beta and the applicant indicated remaining items could be handled as special conditions and that performance standards in the Wetlands Act and local ordinance were met.

After discussing those items and the draft Order of Conditions (staff noted a few late applicant edits received Sept. 2), commissioners debated whether to wait for a final written order versus approving based on the verbal record. The Commission voted to approve the Rocky Hill NOI (002-1362) and to issue an Order of Conditions (vote 6-0) and then closed the hearing. Other agenda matters were primarily procedural: the commission granted continuances to the October 5 meeting for hearings on 29 Lake Attitash Rd, 4 Lake Attitash Rd, 28 Haverhill Rd, 3 Old Merrill St, and the Chestnut Street (Boston Gas) NOI (the latter presenter gave an overview but no DEP file number had yet been issued). Administrative items (minutes approval, consultant invoice payments, and routine fund/administrative notes) were handled at the end of the meeting.