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Norwood commissioners issue enforcement order and timeline after vegetation removal at 1256 Washington Street
Summary
The Conservation Commission issued an enforcement order for vegetation removal at 1256 Washington Street (Hawesbrook reach) and negotiated a restoration timeline with the landowner, including near‑term erosion control and a planting plan prepared by a landscape architect.
The Norwood Conservation Commission voted to issue an enforcement order regarding vegetation removal at 1256 Washington Street on the Hawesbrook reach and agreed a timeline for stabilization and restoration with the property owner present.
The owner told the commission that his family has cleared vegetation along the stream bank annually for about 15 years at the direction of then‑Town conservation staff, and that the most recent work was performed in the same spirit of maintenance rather than as part of new construction. The owner said he was surprised to receive a violation notice and asked the commission to consider the historical context while the parties work toward a restoration plan.
Carly, the conservation planner, described a proposed restoration sequence: install an initial biodegradable straw blanket and seeding for immediate slope stabilization; place a compost or straw wattled filter at the slope base to reduce sediment transport; and work with a landscape architect to design a long‑term woody and herbaceous planting palette for soil stabilization and stream shading. Carly proposed a schedule the commission adopted in outline: erosion‑control installation by September 1, a draft planting/restoration plan submitted about one week before the October 15 meeting (targeting a planner review before the October 15 hearing), and planting completion by about November 1, subject to the owner’s ability to mobilize contractors.
The commission modified the enforcement order wording at the owner’s request from the phrase “unpermitted” to “vegetation removal in the riverfront area” to acknowledge the historical ambiguity, but the enforcement order remains the vehicle to document the agreement and timeline. Commissioners said the order records specific deliverables and timelines and permits staff oversight; Mark Ryan (Town engineer, DPW) was referenced as a resource for discussion about the granite bank stabilization that occurs in nearby reaches.
A motion to issue the enforcement order with the revised language and the schedule described carried on recorded aye votes from Clint (commissioner), Anil Prasad, John Carbone and Catherine Walsh. The owner agreed to coordinate with the conservation planner and to provide requested documentation.
