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Norwood ZBA approves Moderna permit to store ice‑control chemicals; limits site to MTC‑N Lot 5 with containment requirements
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Summary
The Board of Appeals approved a special permit for Moderna to store quantities of ice‑control chemicals requiring state reporting under the Water Resource Protection Overlay, with the storage limited to MTC‑N Lot 5 and barriers required to prevent runoff.
The Board of Appeals of the Town of Norwood on July 1 approved Case 25‑13, a special permit under the town zoning bylaw (Section 9.20.5(j)) allowing Moderna to store quantities of ice‑control chemicals on its 1 Moderna Way campus that exceed the local one‑ton threshold requiring state reporting.
Josh Haines, representing Moderna’s environmental, health and safety staff, told the board the company seeks on‑site winter storage to keep up with de‑icing requirements across roughly 40 acres of paved area on the campus after recent site expansions. "We would like to store in excess of 25 tons," Haines said, adding that the company would not store that amount during summer months but would maintain a par level through the winter.
Haines proposed storing the material at a location known to the applicant as the Forbes Mansion area — an area he said is tucked away from pedestrian traffic. He described storage containers similar to covered, impermeable top dumpsters the company used in previous winters and said the containers would be monitored and refilled, rather than left as single deliveries.
A nearby resident, Kim Reggiani of 5 Barbary Lane, asked whether the storage presented a risk to abutting residential properties. Haines answered that the concern prompting the permit is potential point‑source contamination of the underlying aquifer and wetlands rather than an immediate risk to nearby homes, and he offered to show neighbors the planned storage location.
The board noted a clerical correction in the public notice: the permit sought relief under §9.20.5(j) (storage of ice control chemicals and quantities requiring state reporting) in the Water Resource Protection Overlay District. Board member Joanne said the application must include containment measures to prevent run‑off into wetlands. The applicant committed to installing silt socks or similar perimeter barriers and to administrative monitoring and inspection of the site.
The board voted to approve the special permit with the following key terms: the storage location is limited to MTC‑N Lot 5 (Forbes Mansion lot); storage will be contained behind impermeable covers with perimeter silt socks or similar barriers; and the applicant must coordinate locations and any future changes with the town. Board member Churchill recused herself from this matter.
The motion carried on a roll call of board members present; the applicant was instructed that if Moderna seeks a different storage site later it must return to the board for modification or amendment of the permit.
