Planning Board approves tree and stonewall removals for four sidewalk projects, with mitigation conditions

The Town of Southborough Planning Board on Jan. 26 approved the removal and reset of select trees and stonewall sections along Parkerville, Richards, Woodland and Oak Hill Roads to make way for sidewalks and ADA-compliant crossings.

The board heard a consolidated presentation from the Department of Public Works and consultant VHB, which described sidewalk alignments, the need to relocate some curb and crosswalk elements and the tree and stonewall impacts. Planning staff read the public hearing notice listing 4 ash, 10 hickory, 4 pines, 5 maples, 6 oak and 1 cherry tree slated for review, with diameters ranging from 8 to 48 inches.

"We thought during our field visit that the rest of the trees that are behind there could be saved," VHB’s Greg Russell said while explaining locations where grading and utility conflicts make tree retention infeasible. The project team said specifications will require air excavation, trunk protection and tree-protection fencing where construction comes near retained trees.

Residents who support sidewalks also urged stronger mitigation and a townwide tree plan. "Are we gonna trade 17 trees for the lives of people?" longtime Richards Road resident Bill Harrington asked, reading a neighborhood petition calling the sidewalks a long-standing safety priority.

The board approved removals for Parkerville by unanimous roll call after a motion by Marnie Houlihan and a second; the same procedure approved Woodland and Oak Hill sections (Oak Hill approval covered tree IDs 248–250). For Richards Road, the board approved removals with a condition that DPW continue to work with the Berry family to identify mitigation and replacement plantings (board members discussed replacing removed trees at a 2:1 or 2–3 trees per removed tree ratio). Planning recorded that a written objection had been filed for several Richards trees; under M.G.L. c.87 §4 those trees cannot be removed until the Select Board considers the objection.

Tree Warden Chris LeRoy confirmed he received the written objection before the meeting and will forward the materials to the Select Board for formal action. "The tree warden received the objection in writing prior to the meeting, and I will be passing it along to the Select Board in an official manner," he said.

The board and DPW also discussed a proposed town capital request to fund a GIS tree inventory and a short-term replanting program to identify public and private sites suitable for new trees. VHB said stonewall sections removed during construction would be reset in place where feasible, and the contract will require resetting or stacking stones for future use.

Next steps: DPW will incorporate the board’s conditional requirements into bid documents (air-spading, trunk protection, stonewall reset obligations), and the tree warden will file the written objection with the Select Board for the Richards trees before removals may occur. The Planning Board closed the consolidated public hearing on Jan. 26.