Commission grants negative determination for 48 Pulaski Street with conditions including permanent post-and-rail boundary

The Peabody City Conservation Commission voted 5'on June 11 to issue a negative determination of applicability for work at 48 Pulaski Street that allows a single-family dwelling outside the 100-foot buffer while permitting limited tree clearing, a 10-by-12 deck and a small lawn area inside the outer buffer, subject to conditions.

Craig Marchandah, the project engineer, told the commission the proposed dwelling itself sits immediately outside the 100-foot buffer, with the deck and limited lawn encroaching; he said much of the trees slated for removal are invasive species. The application proposes a post-and-rail fence along the rear of the lawn to separate maintained yard from the undisturbed wetland buffer.

Commission staff recommended conditions including inspection of erosion controls prior to work, requiring an as-built plan after construction to verify fence location, and submittal of a dewatering detail to the agent before any dewatering operations. Secretary Michael Vivaldi moved for a negative determination with those conditions; the motion was seconded by Commissioner Jamie Harrop and passed 5'.

Commissioners also conditioned the determination on preserving the post-and-rail boundary as a perpetual marker of the no-disturb zone; the panel agreed the fence and granite posts should remain unless the commission later grants a formal permit to alter that area. Applicants said no pools or other major additions were planned; if future work inside the buffer were proposed the owner would be required to return to the commission.

Staff will inspect erosion controls before work begins and the applicant must provide an as-built that shows the post-and-rail fence alignment. The commission closed the public hearing and approved the determination by roll call.