Developers propose community addition and parking at Glenbrook Estates; commission orders peer review and schedules site walk

The Woburn Conservation Commission opened a public hearing on March 13, 2025, for Chelsea Glenwood LLC’s Notice of Intent (DP‑348‑0881) to add a community building and a new parking area at Glenbrook Estates, the apartment complex at the intersection of Bedford Road and Cambridge Road.

William Jones of Linden Engineering, representing the applicant, told the commission the proposal converts an existing tennis court and a concrete plaza into a smaller footprint with a building roof and limited new paved area. “It is already impervious area, and we will be changing it from that to a building roof. There is about 20 square feet of additional impervious in front of the building,” Jones said, adding later that the overall project yields “a net decrease” in impervious surface and that he believed the net reduction was “about 1,100 square feet.” Jones said the design provides infiltration for roof runoff “well in excess of DEP requirements” and added an overflow outlet pipe to the brook as an emergency overflow from the infiltration system.

Commissioners focused on wetlands, stormwater controls and verification steps. The site is bisected by Little Brook, which Jones described as a perennial stream that crosses Bedford Road via a 3‑by‑4 box culvert; the project is in the riverfront and buffer zones but, he said, not in bank. Commissioners asked how the mean‑annual high‑water line had been determined; Jones answered that the wetland scientist used field staining. Several commissioners noted that prior flagging of resource boundaries had disappeared and asked that flags be reestablished and confirmed before the site walk.

Other questions addressed stormwater structure details, infiltration testing and construction methods. Jones said the team used auger‑advanced borings and that results were “consistent.” Commissioners asked for confirmatory soil explorations at the infiltration location as a pre‑construction condition. The group discussed catch basin sump depths, leaching basin access ports, landscaping and snow‑storage plans, and possible improvements to roadside flow that currently discharges untreated runoff into Little Brook.

Commissioners also raised non‑construction concerns including pest management during and after construction and the use of anticoagulant rodenticides near water resources; a commissioner asked that an integrated pest management plan specifically avoid anticoagulant rodenticides and that dust control during construction rely on water only. Jones said the specifications and a construction maintenance plan are part of the package and that the applicant does not anticipate pesticide use beyond dust control.

Procedural actions and next steps: the commission granted a requested waiver of the 25‑foot no‑disturb setback at the start of the hearing; commissioners agreed the matter should undergo peer review because there is no engineer on the commission; staff will issue an RFP for peer review. The commission scheduled a site walk for Monday the 24th at 5:30 p.m. and continued the public hearing to April 10, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. so the peer‑review consultant can review plans and so commissioners can inspect flagged boundaries on site.

The commission did not vote to approve the project at the March 13 hearing. Commissioners asked the applicant to restore flagging, provide confirmatory soil exploration over the planned infiltration area, supply the full landscape planting schedule called out on the plans, and supply the integrated pest management/maintenance plan and any additional clarifications the peer reviewer requests.