Presidential Ventures seeks smaller office at 8 Presidential Way; commission presses subdivision, wetland and stormwater questions

WOBURN, Sept. 11, 2025 — Presidential Ventures LLC presented plans for a two‑story, 20,000‑square‑foot office building at 8 Presidential Way to the Woburn Conservation Commission on Thursday, a smaller proposal than a previously approved 60,000‑square‑foot project and one the applicant said will reduce impervious area and parking.

The applicant’s engineer said the new plan reduces the ground footprint to 10,000 square feet (20,000 square feet total), cuts about 122 parking spaces from the earlier design and reduces impervious area by roughly 14,000 square feet. The proposal would convert an existing surface detention basin to a subsurface facility and add pretreatment and a secondary water‑quality unit, the engineer said.

Why it matters: commissioners said the changes would improve stormwater treatment and lessen impacts on wetland buffers, but they pressed the applicant on a legal and procedural question: whether the commission can issue a new order of conditions for the reduced project while the lot subdivision that would create two parcels remains unresolved and while an earlier order of conditions for the site is still open.

Brian Jones, a professional engineer with Allen & Major Associates, described the design and said, “What we’re proposing is a reduction of what the commission has already reviewed and approved.” Jones said the project would remain outside direct wetland resource areas and would involve buffer‑zone impacts only.

Jim Mon, a project representative, told the commission the smaller building responds to changes in tenancy and financing and explained why the applicant prefers to subdivide the lot before construction: “The reason we… think it would be easier to move forward with the subdivision … is that then the new parcel could be released from the existing financing package and a new debt structure could be placed on the new building,” he said.

Commissioners asked the applicant to examine specific statutory and regulatory language before the next hearing. The chair asked the applicant to “take a look at that section of the regulations 310 CMR 10.054(e) where it talks about the requirement under M.G.L. c.131, §40 to obtain or apply for all obtainable permits, variances, and approvals required by local by‑law with respect to the proposed activity.” The commission requested a written response addressing how the subdivision and the existing open order of conditions affect the commission’s ability to act.

On technical points, staff and commissioners requested confirmatory wetland flagging and test pits where the new infiltration facilities are proposed; the commission’s regulations typically require test pits for infiltration basins. Commissioners also pointed the applicant to posted DEP comments and urged the project team to add or clarify snow storage and long‑term operation and maintenance provisions. One commissioner commended the applicant’s integrated pest management plan and recommended adding non‑anticoagulant rodent mitigation methods.

After discussion the applicant agreed to a continuance. The commission voted to continue the public hearing to its Sept. 25, 2025 meeting and set a deadline for submittals: revised materials are due one week before that hearing by 12:00 p.m., the chair said.

The commission will expect a short memorandum addressing the cited state regulation and M.G.L. c.131, §40, confirmatory delineation of the wetlands where appropriate, test‑pit or boring data for the proposed infiltration areas, and responses to DEP comments prior to the continued hearing.

What’s next: The hearing was continued to Sept. 25, 2025. The applicant agreed to submit the requested materials; the commission may ask its legal counsel to advise before it issues a new order of conditions if subdivision timing remains unclear.