Woburn conservation panel closes hearing on in-ground pool, requires shed moved off drainage pipe

The Woburn Conservation Commission closed a public hearing July 24 on a request from Allen Engineering for site work at 7 Crossman Road, including an in-ground pool, hot tub, concrete patio, two decks and a small yard shed within a private drainage easement.

The applicant, Mark Slager of Allen Engineering, said the new owners want to install a pool and match existing pavers, add decks and place a small shed within a drainage-easement area covered by a prior certificate of compliance. "So we're here to, request an order of conditions for these site improvements," Slager said during the public hearing.

The work is located within a recorded drainage easement for maintenance of a private stormwater system; Slager said the easement allows nonpermanent structures so long as they do not interfere with the function or maintenance of the system. He told commissioners that if maintenance requires it, the owners would relocate or remove the shed and decking to allow repairs. "The owners would be aware that, you know, if there is maintenance, the deck and the shed would have to be temporarily relocated, at their own expense," Slager said.

Commissioners pressed for details about access and ongoing oversight. Slager said the homeowners association (currently a single lot owner) is responsible for system maintenance and that reporting and monitoring requirements exist from the subdivision approval: "I believe there's a reporting requirement. That's part of the definitive subdivision approval," he said. Commission members noted the city may gain oversight if the roadway or easement is conveyed in the future; the commission discussed including conditions that would require the owner to remove structures at the owner's expense if the city later assumes maintenance responsibility.

Concerns raised during the hearing included the shed’s placement over an underground pipe and the lower deck’s height above the pipe. Commissioners and staff confirmed the lower deck would be roughly 4–5 feet above grade in places and that the shed could be repositioned off the pipe. Slager offered to amend plans to move the shed: "I can probably slide it over to get it off the pipe," he told the commission.

The commission closed the public hearing after the applicant consented to additional time for the commission to issue an order of conditions. The commission indicated it expects a condition or amended plan documenting that the shed will be relocated off the pipe and that owners understand they must relocate structures for maintenance, at their own cost. No formal permit text was read into the record during the meeting; commissioners said they would include the clarifying conditions in the forthcoming order of conditions.

The commission also discussed pool drainage and backwash; Slager said the pool system is self-contained and that a dry well could be installed if backwash were generated. He described the proposed patio pavers as permeable and said runoff from the patio would percolate to an adjacent crushed‑stone area and thence the drainage system.

The hearing record will include the applicant’s consent allowing the commission additional time to issue the order of conditions. The commission closed the hearing by voice vote.