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Commission schedules site visit and continues Northeast Arc group-home plan after neighbors raise flood and scale concerns
Summary
The commission continued review of a proposed two-dwelling arrangement at 303 Wall Street (Northeast Arc) and took no final action after public commenters and commissioners raised flooding, snow/salt storage and riverfront buffer concerns; applicants will pursue a planning-board waiver and return with revised plans.
Peabody conservation commissioners continued a notice-of-intent for 303 Wall Street, a proposed housing project by Northeast Arc, after detailed technical questions and neighborhood objections about riverfront buffer impacts, snow and de-icing storage, and the project’s fit in an R2 zone.
Attorney Jack Kelty and engineer Pete Blazelle explained their plan to request a planning-board waiver allowing two dwellings on a single lot rather than creating separate lots. The project team said they had staked erosion-control limits and moved to remove an existing garage and narrow pavement to reduce impervious area; they described deep-sump catch basins, an oil separator and infiltration chambers designed to capture and treat site runoff before infiltration.
Commissioners and multiple neighbors pressed the team on alternatives (moving buildings, stacking vertically, or placing drive aisles to avoid work inside the 200-foot riverfront area) and asked engineers to remove ambiguous details from specifications — notably a manufacturer detail that lists recycled concrete as an option. Neighbors emphasized potential flooding and cumulative impacts along Proctor Brook and requested access to the project’s stormwater report; staff said the report is available through the planning board and will be shared with neighbors.
The commission scheduled a site visit for April 23 (to be coordinated with the 309 L Street visit), asked the applicant to provide revised, dated electronic plans, and continued the hearing to May 6 to allow the planning-board waiver process and technical corrections to proceed.
