Charlton conservation commission continues review of proposed 40-unit North Main Street project after peer-review and abutter concerns

The Town of Charlton Conservation Commission continued review of a notice of intent for DEP 128-193835, a proposed 40-unit multifamily development on North Main Street, and agreed to continue the public hearing to April 23 while planning-board peer reviews and outstanding materials are completed.

The applicant’s engineer, James Tetrault of Expedited Engineering, said the project footprint and unit count are unchanged and described revisions submitted in response to prior comments. "We are only we're altering less than 5,000 square feet of the riverfront area on-site," Tetrault said, referring to the Rivers Protection Act allowance that the applicant cited in the application materials.

A peer-review memo read into the record warned that the project would "eliminate much of the vegetated buffer" in several locations and recommended scaling back the plan to preserve wooded buffers. The memo—identified in the meeting as authored by R. Ali and read aloud by staff—said: "I strongly recommend that the project be scaled back to preserve as much of the wooded buffer zone as possible." The reviewer also cited 310 CMR (wetland delineation standards) and noted that the commission may condition or scale back work within the buffer under 13 CMR 10.531, which was raised during the discussion.

Neighbors urged the commission to press for stricter protections. "It's all flooded in the back. That's where all the water goes," abutter Ashley Bresboe of 32 L. Stevens Road told commissioners, describing seasonal ponding and runoff routed toward the project site. Sarah Clardy of 36 L. Stevens Road also said the area has flooded in prior heavy-storm periods and asked what would happen if similar storms recur.

Tetrault said the development team has added drainage measures—additional catch basins and infiltration structures—and revised landscaping and lighting plans after reviews by Graves Engineering and the town’s outside peer reviewers. He said a new sidewalk is proposed along L. Stevens and North Main Street as part of planning-board review. He also described a change to the shared driveway to include a turnaround for emergency vehicles.

Commission staff confirmed the conservation commission will not close the hearing until peer-review responses and planning-board stormwater review are complete. Commissioners and staff repeatedly advised abutters to submit questions to planning-board review as the drainage calculations and peer-review responses are finalized.

The developer requested a continuance; the commission voted to continue the item to April 23, stating that the planning board’s peer review and comments must be resolved first before the conservation commission can act.

What’s next: The commission will revisit DEP 128-193835 after the planning board completes its peer review and after the applicant submits the outstanding alternatives analysis and any additional materials requested by reviewers.