265R Elm St; 277R Elm St; 281 Elm St; 287 Elm St; 287R Elm St; 287.5 Elm St - Notice of Intent

What is proposed

The Rocky Hill MBTA Community is a residential development proposed by Dale Development, LLC on six Elm Street parcels in Amesbury. The plan calls for 379 dwelling units in two neighborhoods: a North Neighborhood of 296 units (in 29 multi‑unit buildings) and a South Neighborhood of 83 for‑sale units composed of single‑family, duplex, triplex and quad‑plex buildings. The submission designates 10% of units as Affordable Housing and includes community amenities (clubhouse, pool, courts), common greens, pocket parks, connected trails and visitor/trailhead parking.

Where and how big

The six parcels total about 65.6 acres; the buildable portion is concentrated on roughly 32.6 acres of upland. Two unnamed streams and associated wetlands and buffers are present on the site. The site plan shows internal streets, reduced street widths and attached single‑family building types in places to limit impervious area. Deed restrictions are identified in the filing to preserve wetlands, stream corridors and other sensitive areas outside the development footprint.

Wetlands, buffers and riverfront area

The NOI addresses work within the City’s 25‑ and 50‑foot Wetland Buffer Zones, the 100‑foot Buffer Zone, and the 200‑foot Riverfront Area (RFA) measured from field‑delineated mean annual high water on the unnamed tributaries. Bordering Vegetated Wetlands (BVW) and the stream banks were field‑delineated and reviewed through Abbreviated Notice of Resource Area Delineation (ANRAD) processes; ORADs were issued in 2023 and 2024 and corrections were recorded in October 2023.

• Total Riverfront Area on site: 341,962 square feet.
• Proposed permanent impacts in the RFA: 32,874 sf (9.7%).
• Proposed temporary impacts in the RFA (to be restored): 26,537 sf (7.8%).
• RFA restoration proposed: 35,317 sf. Net RFA impact after restoration = 24,094 sf (7.0%).
• Proposed temporary impacts in the 25‑ft buffer: ~31,076 sf (to be restored in place); permanent 25‑ft buffer impact: ~1,150 sf for a drainage stone outfall.

Note: Bordering Vegetated Wetlands (BVW) are freshwater wetlands that directly border streams, ponds or other water bodies and are regulated under the Wetlands Protection Act. The Riverfront Area (RFA) is the land measured outward from a river’s mean annual high water line; on this site the RFA is treated as the 200‑foot zone from the streams.

The filing states no permanent impacts are proposed to Inland Bank, BVW, isolated vegetated wetland (IVW), Land Under Water or Bordering Land Subject to Flooding (BLSF) for purposes of the NOI, and an earlier emergency access through BVW was removed from the design.

Stormwater and environmental controls

The stormwater management design is documented in a Stormwater Management Report prepared by Millenium Engineering. The system is sized for the 100‑year storm and includes deep‑sump catch basins, Contech® CDS water quality units for pretreatment, bioswales, constructed stormwater wetlands, surface and subsurface infiltration basins, and StormTech® Isolator Row filtration in many infiltration areas. The report shows:

• Required recharge volume: ~26,294 cubic feet.
• Proposed recharge provided by infiltration systems: ~78,734 cubic feet.
• TSS removal and water quality calculations indicating treatment trains meeting local and MassDEP targets (applicant reports meeting 80% TSS removal for new development and meeting local TP removal requirements by infiltration of water quality volume).

Erosion and sedimentation controls and construction period BMPs are shown on plans, and the submission includes long‑term operation and maintenance provisions for stormwater BMPs.

Status and next steps

Resource delineation for wetlands and streams on the site was established by ORADs (2023, 2024) and corrected records accompany the filing. A Notice of Intent package (WPA Form 3, narrative, figures, site plans and stormwater report) was submitted on January 9, 2026 and the applicant requested placement on the Conservation Commission agenda for February 2, 2026. The Conservation Commission review will consider compliance with the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act and the City of Amesbury Wetlands Protection Ordinance, including Riverfront Area and buffer‑zone performance standards, the stormwater management plan, and proposed restoration and mitigation measures in jurisdictional areas.