Peabody conservation panel approves order of conditions for 1.25-mile Independence Greenway extension

Peabody Conservation Commission members voted 8-0 on Feb. 12 to issue an order of conditions for a proposed 1.25-mile extension of the Independence Greenway that would add a separated bicycle-and-pedestrian path and two pedestrian bridges between Lieutenant Ross Park and the Peabody Road trailhead.

The project, presented by Diana Waldron of BSC Group on behalf of the City of Peabody and MassDOT, aims to connect existing Independence Greenway sections, provide a safe crossing of Route 1 and link to the Border-to-Boston trail network. The commission approved standard orders 1–50 plus special conditions and checklists (H, J, K, L) and added special conditions addressing equipment staging, invasive-species work and slope stabilization; the motion was made by Commissioner Mike Rizzo and seconded by Commissioner Mike Vivaldi and passed 8–0.

The commission’s action follows the project team’s summary of environmental review and permitting. Presenters said they filed an Expanded Environmental Notification Form and environmental impact materials in late 2024 and received a final review decision in January; they also filed for Chapter 91 review for a bridge over Procter Brook and for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Clean Water Act Section 404 permit. The team described the path as primarily 10–12 feet wide with grass shoulders, two new pedestrian bridges (one spanning Route 1 and one spanning…