Developers present plans for 122-room hotel; commission requests wetland replication details

ParkSilver Development representatives presented a plan on June 9 to build a 122-unit hotel at 77 Providence Street in Worcester, and conservation staff and commissioners asked the applicant for a detailed wetland replication plan and more stormwater information before the commission takes a vote.

The proposal would clear a largely wooded lot, add parking and utilities, and install a stormwater system designed to route run-off through catch basins into a large infiltration basin. Scott Goddard, wetlands consultant for the project, told the commission "there is an area... approximately 1,500 square feet" that holds water seasonally and meets the definition of a bordering vegetated wetland (BVW). That BVW and an identified bank of conveyance between it and a culvert are being treated as regulated resource areas under both the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act and Worcester's local wetlands ordinance, staff said.

Commission staff told the commission it has not completed a full review because the filing lacks a detailed wetland replication plan. "We would propose to fill the whole square footage of BVW and replicate the whole square footage of BVW," Scott Goddard said as an initial concept, but he and the applicant also said design details and testing are still being developed. Staff advised that under Worcester’s local regulations a 1.5:1 replication ratio is the performance standard unless the project qualifies as a limited project; the applicant said it may request a waiver to allow a 1:1 replication because of site constraints.

Commissioners and staff pressed the applicant to show where replication would be located and how the proposed stormwater system would function in large storm events. Matthew Ashley, project engineer for ParkSilver, described the planned stormwater approach and said test pits supported locating the infiltration system in the area shown on the plans. Ashley said runoff would be collected in deep-sump catch basins and routed through an underground pipe network to an infiltration basin; when the system reaches capacity it would overflow to the existing downstream pipe as it does today.

Because the site has steep topography and limited space, applicants and staff discussed possible off-site replication that shares a hydrologic connection to the same downstream network; staff noted that an adjacent parcel could be acceptable if hydrologically connected but that ownership and feasibility would need to be confirmed. Commissioners agreed more information is required before the commission can render a decision.

The commission did not vote on the project; the applicant requested and the commission approved a continuance to the June 30 meeting so the applicant can submit a wetland replication plan, stormwater details, and any waiver request. The motion to continue carried with unanimous aye votes from Commissioners Canton, Kirschner, Nystrom and Chair Diane Fattoni.

Why it matters: the project would convert wooded land to a large commercial use abutting mapped wetland resources, triggering replication and stormwater performance standards under state and local wetlands law. The commission signaled it will require quantified mitigation and clear stormwater evidence before issuing an order of conditions.