Conservation commission approves waiver, schedules site visit for Locust Road retaining‑wall project

Nicole Ferrara of LEC Environmental, representing homeowners Janet and Donald Burke, told the Woburn Conservation Commission that the rear yard at 6 Mello Road contains a failing railroad‑tie retaining wall adjacent to an intermittent stream and a fringing wetland. Ferrara said the applicants plan to remove the ties by hand and replace the structure with a concrete block retaining wall set about 2 feet upgradient of the existing wall, with hand removal, erosion controls, off‑site soil disposal, a roughly 3‑foot‑wide native perennial planting bed and live stakes of silky dogwood to stabilize the downgradient area.

Ferrara described the construction sequence as staged top‑down removal of soil and railroad ties followed by installation of the new wall and erosion controls, and said the proposed finished wall will be about 3.5 feet tall. She identified Clark Kenton of Kenton Landscaping (based in Woburn) as the contractor who will handle the landscaping, and said the planting palette will be selected after the wall is reconstructed to fit available space. "This site is a single family house. It's surrounded by lawn and landscaping," Ferrara said in her presentation.

Ward 7 City Councillor Charles Viola, who said he visited the property several times, told commissioners he supported replacing the failing wall to reduce the risk of the intermittent stream becoming blocked. "I've been out to this property numerous times. The applicant showed me the wall that's there... This definitely will be an upgrade to the area," Viola said.

Commissioners asked about the method and sequencing of removal, potential sloughing into the stream and whether machinery would be used; Ferrara emphasized manual removal and erosion‑control measures to limit disturbance. Because portions of the work lie within the commission's 25‑foot no‑disturb buffer (previously disturbed), a commissioner moved to waive the buffer restriction for this project; the motion was seconded and approved. Commissioners agreed the work should be scheduled in dry conditions and that a site walk was warranted. The commission set a site visit for Monday, Sept. 16 (logistics agreed with the homeowners) and voted to continue the public hearing on the application to the commission's Sept. 26, 2024 meeting at the applicants' request.

Next steps: the applicants will proceed with the site visit, finalize planting details after reconstruction and return to the Sept. 26 hearing with any required updated materials. The commission emphasized use of erosion controls and staged hand removal to limit impacts to the adjacent stream and wetland.