Uxbridge Conservation Commission: COCs granted, peer review ordered and enforcement issues flagged

The Town of Uxbridge Conservation Commission handled a series of routine and enforcement matters at its April 22 meeting, approving some closures and continuing or referring others for further review.

Certificates and orders - The commission voted to issue a Certificate of Compliance for DEP 3121145 (104 Aldrich Street) after Karen Degan of Allen Engineering said the October 2023 septic repair is stabilized and buffer-zone work is in lawn; the motion carried unanimously. - For 63 and 67 Homeward Avenue, Byron Andrews presented revised grading and compensatory flood-storage calculations. Commissioners approved an Order of Conditions with two special conditions: (1) wetland flags must be refreshed or replaced prior to construction; and (2) areas to be excavated must be flagged and approved by the commission agent before work begins.

Peer review, continuances and requests - The commission voted to engage an outside wetland scientist (Art Allen) to peer-review a contested wetland delineation at 48 & 52 Homeward Avenue; the applicant agreed to the review and the matter was continued to the next meeting to allow inspection and report. - Several hearings were continued at applicants’ requests or because the commission asked for more information, including DEP filings for Blackstone Street, Hazel Street, 70 West River Road and the Old Elm Dale subdivision.

Enforcement and site concerns - Commissioners discussed a drainage dispute at 195 South Main Street after an outside inspector reported that basins on that property appear present but neighbors say they are flooded during heavy storms and identified a culverted pipe that may be directing flow onto adjacent properties. The commission asked for original design calculations, agreed to joint site inspections (preferably during a rain event), and encouraged cooperative solutions, including removal or redesign of any unauthorized pipe if necessary. - Staff flagged recent large-area clearing by Malavi Materials at or near 671 Quaker Highway as potentially triggering the town’s stormwater bylaw. Initial GIS estimates put the cleared area near 0.73 acres; commissioners asked staff to follow up with a field measurement and to determine whether the disturbance meets the one-acre threshold that would require stormwater permitting.

Other items - Commissioners asked staff to require clearer, consolidated phasing sheets and erosion-control overlays from applicants because overly dense, multi-layered plan sets made review difficult during the meeting. The commission also instructed staff to request that the utility or property owner that installed a new long perimeter fence along Depot Street appear at a future meeting to describe the work and any permitting.

Next steps: staff to arrange peer review and site inspections, obtain plan consolidations from applicants, and return enforcement or permit matters to future meetings for resolution.