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Commission approves order of conditions for redevelopment at 40 Highland Avenue/1416 Riverside Drive
Summary
The commission issued an order of conditions for a residential subdivision that will redevelop a previously disturbed riverfront area; commissioners requested a dewatering plan and discussed monitoring of plantings.
The Needham Conservation Commission on Feb. 27 voted to issue an order of conditions for redevelopment at 40 Highland Avenue and 1416 Riverside Drive (DEP file 234-945), concluding that the proposed work will occur in previously developed riverfront area and will improve existing conditions.
The project will convert existing lots into three building lots—two to contain duplexes and one to remain an automotive repair facility—while removing dumped materials, installing stormwater management, and adding native plantings in the outer 200-foot riverfront zone.
Staff reviewed site history, noting an ANRAD filed in February 2020 and that the work lies in the outer 200-foot riverfront area. Staff said the submission was reviewed under 310 CMR 10.585 as work to redevelop a previously developed riverfront area and that the proposed stormwater measures, removal of dumped materials, and native plantings will improve the riverfront compared with existing conditions.
Commissioners asked for clarification on monitoring. A staffer said they had not required a two-year monitoring program because most of the proposed mitigation planting is outside the commission’s jurisdiction; commissioners nevertheless asked the applicant to include monitoring focused on the mitigation plantings. Commissioners discussed a 75 percent survival standard for plantings as the expected performance target.
Staff asked that the commission require a dewatering plan if dewatering becomes necessary during construction. The owner, Steven Wahlberg, will pick up the signed order when it is ready, staff said.
Votes at the meeting: the commission closed the hearing for this project and voted to issue the order of conditions for DEP file 234-945; roll-call votes were recorded as ayes. Staff listed the regulatory basis and monitoring expectations during the discussion; no additional special conditions beyond stormwater controls and the possible dewatering plan were added.
The commission’s decision was framed around the regulatory test for redevelopment of previously developed riverfront area: staff concluded the proposal will not increase degraded area, will locate work farther from the river than existing disturbance, and includes native plantings to improve conditions.
