Peabody council grants JD Raymond special permit for mulching operation with strict conditions

The Peabody City Council on Jan. 23 approved a special permit allowing JD Raymond Transport Inc. to operate a mulching, composting and outdoor storage business at 25 Farm Avenue, subject to new conditions aimed at reducing fire, noise, dust and stormwater impacts.

The council’s vote — 10 in favor, 1 opposed — followed hours of testimony from the petitioner, neighbors, consultants and city officials. Attorney Kim Croa, representing JD Raymond, said the company has operated at the site for about 20 years and provides a city benefit by accepting landscape and clean wood waste for no cost then recycling it into mulch used by local groups and residents. “We’re asking the council to vote in favor of a special permit to allow JD Raymond to continue its long‑standing mulch operation,” Croa said.

The permit was contested by the owner of the adjacent property, Michael Weiss, and his attorney Jason Panos, who argued the operation has expanded well beyond simple mulching and presented evidence and complaints about pile heights, dust, noise and impacts to nearby wetlands. Panos told the council a September 2024 Land Court decision upheld cease‑and‑desist orders and found the use was not a lawful nonconforming horticultural use, and he urged denial or, if approved,…