Revere Conservation Commission approves notice of intent for new Revere High School

The Revere Conservation Commission voted to approve the Notice of Intent (DEP file 0610846) for construction of a new Revere High School after the applicant provided a final environmental impact report and addressed commission questions about stormwater and site changes.

The project team told the commission the final environmental impact report (FEIR) shows the proposal complies with the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) and that no further federal NEPA review is required. "We received the final EIR, documenting that the project adequately complies with the MEPA regulations," said Claire Hogeboom, wetland scientist with LAC Environmental Consultants, who represented the applicant.

The approval followed public comment from city officials and agency staff. "What they have done from an engineering standpoint is sound and appropriate," said Nick Rystrom, Revere city engineer, who spoke in support. Diane Kelly, Revere superintendent of schools, said the school department has spent nine years developing the project and voiced support for moving forward. Mayor Patrick Keefe commended the commission’s deliberations and the project team.

Commissioners questioned a modest increase in impervious surface reported in the FEIR. "In the draft DIR we submitted to MEPA the project was going to reduce the overall impervious area on the site by 7.14 acres," Hogeboom said. She explained MassDOT requested a 10-foot shared-use path along the VFW Parkway and North Shore Road frontage, which increased the project footprint by about a quarter of an acre and required replacing a 5-foot sidewalk with the wider path. That change added impervious surface to the site.

Commissioners also asked why existing culverts that convey water to the Eastern County Ditch would not be replaced during construction. Hogeboom said replacing the culverts would increase impacts to bordering vegetated wetlands and banks. "By replacing those culverts, it would result in more impacts to bordering vegetated wetland and bank to the Eastern County Ditch," she said, adding that the project's stormwater modeling concluded the existing culverts can support post-construction flows.

One commissioner urged replacing the culvert on the emergency access road to avoid stress from infrequent emergency-vehicle use; Hogeboom replied that if the school later seeks to upgrade that access, the committee would return with a separate Notice of Intent.

The city solicitor, Paul Capizzi, raised a legal concern about two draft special conditions (identified in the transcript as J7 and J8), saying they appeared to impose prospective restrictions beyond the scope of the current project and citing case-law concerns about enforceability. "Although we would have to come before you anyway if such future changes were proposed, I think it's unlawful, at least unenforceable, to apply it prospectively," Capizzi said. The commission chair indicated those two conditions would likely be omitted from the final order.

After public testimony and discussion, the commission closed the hearing and voted to approve the Notice of Intent, finding the submission met the minimum requirements of the Wetland Protection Act. Commissioner Amelia recused herself because of her status as a city employee; remaining commissioners recorded unanimous approval. Following the vote, project representatives thanked the commission for its scrutiny and time.

The commission noted it received one communication about a preliminary Chapter 91 license related to tide gates and asked members to review that material; further data and a more formal submission on the tide-gate matter are expected. The commission also confirmed its next meeting schedule (no meeting in January; the December meeting will be Dec. 3).