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NRC approves restoration plan after large fill and tree-cutting at Pitchburn Turnpike property
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Summary
The Natural Resources Commission unanimously approved a buffer‑zone restoration plan for a property on Pitchburn Turnpike where recent filling and tree removal violated wetland protections. The plan calls for removing up to 28 inches of fill, regrading to prior contours, planting native species and two years of monitoring.
The Concord Natural Resources Commission on a unanimous vote approved a restoration plan for the property at 148–154 Pitchburn Turnpike after a December violation notice documented filling and tree cutting in the 0–100 foot wetland buffer.
David Fisher, representing Fabio’s Construction Inc., presented the plan and said the owner will remove the material and reinstate appropriate grading and plantings under commission oversight. Engineer Dan Carr described soil testing on the site: “I believe, the most was 28 inches of fill,” he said, citing 11–12 borings used to size the excavation and stockpile areas.
The restoration design submitted by Fisher’s team calls for removing the imported fill, reestablishing prior contours, importing loam, and installing native trees and shrubs in the 0–50 foot buffer zones. The plan also includes a split‑rail/boulder visual barrier, erosion controls, and a monitoring program. “The main goal of this plan is to create a restored buffer zone,” David Fisher told the commission.
Commissioners required a preconstruction site visit with the contractor and landscape architect and set a monitoring schedule of twice‑yearly reports for two years, with the first report timed to construction and subsequent seasonal checks. The commission recorded the approval as a motion with explicit conditions; commissioners said the plan’s monitoring and removal of all fill from buffer areas were decisive in their support.
After the vote commissioners told the applicant erosion controls must be installed before on‑site work begins and that construction monitoring reports must be submitted to the commission as required by the order. The commission noted the plan aims to meet the protections in the Wetlands Protection Act and directed staff to schedule follow‑up inspections.
What happens next: once the contractor installs erosion controls and the preconstruction site visit occurs, the commission’s staff will confirm the timeline and monitoring responsibilities so the restoration work can begin.
