Commission continues review of proposed Lakeville fire station, orders peer review of stormwater plans

The Lakeville Conservation Commission continued review of a proposed Lakeville Fire Station sited on property associated with the Ted Williams Camp (listed on the application as 28 Precinct Street, SE 192-940), and asked staff to solicit a peer review of stormwater design before the commission takes further action.

Spencer Linz, representing Parr Corporation and the project team, said the site is a roughly two-acre portion of a larger town-owned lot and described grading, clearing, and construction of an apparatus access drive, parking, septic, and underground stormwater infiltration systems. Linz said Natural Heritage had issued a letter indicating “no adverse effect” in its most recent coordination and that the project team has submitted plans to Natural Heritage, MassDEP and will submit to Board of Health for septic review. He told the commission, “This project has been one of the most thoroughly reviewed that I’ve ever done personally.”

The commission’s questions centered on stormwater management, wetland buffers, and permitting steps. Linz described two large underground infiltration basins designed to capture and infiltrate runoff from the station roof, parking areas and an adjacent MassDOT right-of-way; he said test infiltration rates exceeded the conservative rates used for design, and that using those conservative assumptions the system still meets the stormwater handbook requirements. He told the commission the design uses an assumed infiltration rate of 8.27 inches per hour for calculations but field tests showed rates of about 17 inches per hour in test pits.

Commissioners pressed the project team on these points: the percent-of-coverage metric used for zoning versus stormwater modeling (Linz explained the stormwater model uses the project limit of disturbance rather than the full 20-acre lot), the location and containment for concrete washout, the location of construction entrances, and whether any work would occur within the resource areas or require replication (Linz said disturbance would be in the buffer zone and not within primary resource areas and that the project does not propose replication). The applicant confirmed required construction controls (Erosion and Sediment Controls, a SWIP, and a SWM inspection protocol) will be provided and that MESA/MESA-related coordination and any required amendments will be completed prior to work.

After discussion the commission voted to continue the hearing to June 24, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. at the Lakeville Police Station and to proceed with a peer review focused on stormwater and stormwater assumptions before the next substantive hearing. The commission chair asked staff to request three peer-review proposals and to notify the applicant when a reviewer is chosen. The applicant asked to waive peer review given extensive prior review and warned that further delay could increase construction costs; the commission nonetheless said a targeted peer review was warranted to confirm there were no major omissions.

Why it matters: the site borders public water resources and is intended for municipal emergency services. The commission’s peer-review requirement and Natural Heritage coordination indicate the project will remain under close technical and regulatory scrutiny as it advances to local permitting screens including the Board of Health, MassDOT and, if needed, the Planning Board.

The continuation included procedural directions: submit finalized architectural plans to the planning board (to determine whether zoning relief will be needed for building height), deliver final septic plans to the Board of Health, and supply the commission with the full stormwater report and corrected clerical items the commission noted.

Next steps: the commission will solicit peer-review bids and meet again on June 24, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.; the applicant will notify the commission when updated architectural and septic plans are filed with other local boards.