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Conservation commission grants buffer waiver, issues order of conditions for 45 Southville Road
Summary
The Town of Southborough Conservation Commission voted to grant a waiver for work inside the 20-foot wetland buffer at 45 Southville Road and issued an order of conditions; the project includes septic system abandonment, a repaved driveway, and 80 square feet of added impervious area mitigated by a roof-drain dry well.
The Town of Southborough Conservation Commission voted on Oct. 11, 2025, to grant a waiver for work inside the 20-foot wetland buffer at 45 Southville Road (DEP File No. 2901133) and to issue an order of conditions to allow the septic abandonment and related driveway work.
The waiver covers limited work within the 20-foot buffer so the current septic system can be abandoned and the existing driveway repaved. The commission’s findings note an increase of approximately 80 square feet of impervious surface; the application calls for that increase to be mitigated by a roof-drain dry well. Commissioners voted in favor of granting the waiver and issuing the order of conditions.
Commission members asked staff to state the mitigation on the record before voting; staff confirmed the mitigation measures and explained that the existing driveway turnaround was not a new encroachment. Commissioners and staff said the turnaround predates the applicable provisions of the Wetlands Protection Act and the town’s local bylaw and therefore is effectively grandfathered from removal as a condition of the permit.
Meeting discussion clarified that the currently installed septic system sits within about 5 feet of the wetland; the project will partially relocate the system and, after abandonment of the old system, restore the 20-foot no-touch buffer to a reduced footprint compared with the current condition. No additional special conditions beyond the standard order were noted by staff.
The motion to grant the waiver and to issue the order of conditions was approved by roll call: Zalick — yes; Barrington — yes; Upton — yes; Barbara Glovsky — yes; Smith — yes. The commission proceeded to send the order out the same night.
Background: the filing is recorded with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection as DEP Number 2901133. The commission referenced the Wetlands Protection Act and the town’s local bylaw as the regulatory framework governing buffer waivers and mitigation requirements.
