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Historic commission approves submission to plant five trees at Brigham Street
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Summary
The Northborough Historic District Commission voted to approve submitting a request to plant five trees at the Brigham Street site, moving sweet magnolia to the second choice and adding cherry as the third choice; commissioners will schedule a site visit and consult landscape experts before finalizing species and exact placement.
The Northborough Historic District Commission voted April 15 to approve submitting an application to plant roughly five trees at the Brigham Street parcel, after debating species selection and confirming a site visit to mark tree locations.
Chair Bob Light said the application needed to be sent immediately to remain in the planting queue and outlined his ranked species choices. "I just don't want to get to a point where we're gonna miss the opportunity," he said, urging the commission to approve the submission with a revised ranking. Leslie Harrison said she preferred a mix of species: "I personally think it would look nicer to have a variety rather than all the same." Commissioners agreed to change the second choice to sweet magnolia and add cherry as a third option.
The commission also agreed to schedule a site visit with Diane (the landscaper referenced in the meeting) to stake out potential locations and to coordinate placement with any future labyrinth plans on the Brigham Street parcel. Commission members said they will ask landscape architects to review the selections and advise on suitability for soil, shade and sun conditions before final planting. A commissioner noted that if the application is not submitted now, the trees might not be available until a later planting round in September.
A motion to approve filing the application with the revised second- and third-choice species passed after a second and a roll-call vote of commissioners present. Chair Light said he would update Laurie (the staff contact) and submit the revised application, and the commission will reconvene details after the site visit.
Next steps: the commission will (1) complete the formal application submission to the town contact, (2) hold a non-deliberative site visit with the landscaper and interested commissioners to mark tree locations, and (3) solicit professional input from landscape architects on species hardiness and placement before final planting.
The commission meets next on May 20 by Zoom.
