Southborough board conditionally approves septic plan for 32-unit 250 Turnpike proposal

The Southborough Board of Health voted Dec. 23 to approve a septic-system plan for a proposed 32-unit townhouse development at 250 Turnpike Road, but the approval is contingent on a memo from the Department of Public Works confirming that the planned septic and waterline crossings meet town requirements.

The plan presented to the board would serve 68 bedrooms, a flow the presenter described as 7,480 gallons, and uses a pressure-dose design. The engineers described three large tanks in the system — a 15,000-gallon septic tank near units 1 and 2, an 8,000-gallon tank across the driveway, and a 15,000-gallon pump chamber near the far end of the site — with pumps and a 6-inch force main feeding the leaching trenches. "What's proposed there are 32 townhouse style units," the presenter said, summarizing the scope of the development.

Board members and staff focused questions on setbacks to wetlands and multiple crossings where sewer and water lines come into proximity. The applicants said they had reviewed wetland boundaries and used Title 5 guidance to set a 50-foot setback where they determined a feature was not a tributary; the design team said they had documented a 51-foot distance at the single closest point to the wetland. Dennis, the board’s agent, said the plan "meets Title 5" and described onsite testing and revisions made to account for crossings and pump-chamber sizing.

Because several water/sewer crossings remain a point of coordination with the Department of Public Works, the board's motion conditioned approval on a DPW memo confirming that all crossings and proximity conditions satisfy the water department's standards. Chelsea read the motion to approve the December 19 plan with that condition; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote with the members present.

The applicants also noted that conservation staff and the 40B review process are engaged with the project; board members asked the applicants to provide the DPW memo and said staff will notify the applicants once DPW sign-off is received. The board did not request variances from Title 5; instead it approved the plan as presented with the DPW condition.

Next steps for the developer are to secure the DPW memo, complete any remaining profile and crossing details requested by DPW, and then proceed with permitting and construction scheduling.