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Neighbors press council to deny special permit for Joshua Recycling amid conservation enforcement concerns
Summary
An application by Joshua Recycling for a contractor storage yard at 12 Furlong Drive was referred to zoning after proponents emphasized the tenant's good-faith application and opponents — including the Conservation Commission chair and a nearby resident — cited unresolved enforcement, wetlands buffer violations and site contamination concerns.
The Revere City Council held a hearing on Jan. 27 on an application from Joshua Recycling Inc. for a special permit to operate a contractor storage yard at 12 Furlong Drive. The council referred the application to Zoning for further review.
An applicant representative said the tenant has occupied the property since Dec. 1, 2018, and sought the special permit so the business could obtain occupancy and complete other required permits. Two proponents spoke in support, including a neighbor who described the applicant as a small local business seeking to comply with city rules.
Opponents raised several environmental and enforcement concerns. Nicholas Rolfe, who identified himself with the Conservation Commission, said much of the property falls within a 200-foot buffer to Sales Creek and that enforcement actions remained unresolved as of 2:30 p.m. the day of the hearing. "I think it would be irresponsible to extend a special permit ... until such time as they are able to resolve their enforcement," Rolfe said.
Councilors and the Conservation Commission chair described longstanding problems at the site: overflowing dumpsters, piles of soil, improper erosion controls, and previous citations for illegal filling and wetlands violations. The Conservation Commission representative listed hazardous materials, debris and inadequate erosion controls as outstanding issues that would need to be resolved before sign-off.
Councilors from the affected ward pressed the applicant to clean the site before approval. Councilor McKenna, whose ward abuts Sales Creek, said the creek provides important habitat and must be protected; she and other councilors said they would not support a permit until the property is cleaned.
The council closed the public comment and referred the application to the Zoning Committee for consideration; the council did not vote to grant the special permit on Jan. 27.
