Hampden commission schedules Oct. 22 site inspection for South Road estate lot; reviews clearing at South Bridal Estates

The Town of Hampden Conservation Commission scheduled a site inspection for an 8‑acre estate lot on South Road and reviewed reports that abutters have cleared areas mapped as protected wetlands at South Bridal Estates.

The commission set the site inspection for Oct. 22 at 10:00 a.m. and said it will follow up with a survey and wetland delineation; staff also discussed placing permanent signs after boundaries are confirmed. The discussion came during a conservation commission meeting when the landowner described the parcel and commissioners described steps for enforcement and mapping.

Sherry Himelstein, who said she and her husband bought a 157‑acre farm and have placed roughly 20 acres and another 75 acres under conservation restriction, described the lot that would be broken off for a single house. "This 8 acre is actually attached to another 75 acres that's under conservation restriction," Himelstein said. She told the commission the cleared portion in front is about 3 acres and said the likely build site is set back from mapped wetlands.

Commission members and staff said they have not yet completed a site inspection and that the commission will coordinate a walk‑through when members can attend. Commissioner/agent staff discussed how the lot relates to estate‑lot rules and subdivision questions; Himelstein said, "Estate lots have to be 8 acres." The commission advised that the property owner or a potential buyer will likely need to hire a wetland scientist for delineation and permitting.

Separately, commissioners reviewed state photographs and reports documenting clearing inside mapped resource areas at South Bridal Estates. Staff said the state notified the town after comparing earlier forested photos to more recent images showing cleared parcels. "When they showed, you know, 2019, it's all forested and then the last one was 02/2022 or '23, and it's like a third of it cleared," a commission member said while describing the state evidence. The commission said it is hiring a surveyor to re‑establish boundaries and would expect to post signs to mark protected areas once the delineation is complete.

Commission staff noted the practical enforcement steps: confirm mapping and historical boundaries, delineate wetlands on the ground, and post permanent signage. Staff also said that on properties where the original markers or posts no longer exist, the town will rely on original mapping and a current survey to confirm limits. Mark Simpson (who provided the comparative photos) and commission staff will follow through with the delineation work.

Next steps the commission recorded in the meeting include arranging the Oct. 22 site inspection, conducting a wetland delineation/survey, and placing permanent boundary signs where appropriate. The commission asked the landowner and potential buyers to supply any perk tests or existing site plans to assist the review.

The commission closed the meeting after the discussions; members did not adopt new enforcement regulations at the session but described the hiring and survey steps to gather evidence and set permanent markers.