Neighbors urge larger buffers and tree protections as Caswell subdivision returns to Planning Board

A Newburyport Plan Board hearing on Feb. 4, 2026 drew a large turnout of Arlington Street neighbors who urged stronger protections for mature trees and clearer limits on house massing as the Caswell subdivision proposal returned for revised review.

The applicant said the latest plan shifts the roadway slightly, narrows the right-of-way and pulls house frontages forward to save tree canopy and reduce stormwater impacts. "We actually slid the road forward to alleviate some of the pressure," the applicant said, adding the design now includes a 10-foot permanent landscape buffer and larger side and rear offsets on several lots.

Steve of Millennium Engineering described the technical changes and the project’s new stormwater approach. He said project engineers ran double-ring infiltrometer tests and installed six subsurface infiltration chambers to collect runoff; the tests showed substantially reduced off-site flow, and he estimated "probably an 80% reduction" in site runoff during a 100‑year event compared with prior conditions.

Neighbors said the drawings still leave too much uncertainty. Maline Nash of 19 Arlington Street, citing an informal neighborhood tree survey, said roughly 19 mature trees could be affected and pressed the board to require a certified arborist, tree marking, and penalties for violations. "The root structures of the remaining trees must be preserved," Nash said, and asked that preservation be memorialized as a condition of approval.

Other residents described potential physical impacts when construction occurs next to their fences and retaining walls and asked the board to require that new home massing be shown on plans so abutters can judge visual impacts. One longtime neighbor, Glenn Casey, pointed to a 1979 variance that included a green-belt condition and asked the board to consider that historical restriction when reviewing the current proposal.

Board members and staff framed the application against a separate zoning amendment on 'courts and lanes' that, if adopted by city council, would give the board more discretion to reduce certain dimensional requirements (for example, allowing a roadway reduction from a default 40-foot standard to 30 feet). Several members encouraged the applicant to explore modest lateral shifts of lot lines to preserve trees and asked for a clearer plant palette and a written description of the proposed vegetated buffer.

After extended questioning and public comment, a board member moved "to continue the special permit application and the definitive subdivision approval application for 18 Highland Avenue to March 4, 2026." The motion carried on a roll-call vote.

What happens next: the board requested a revised plan that clarifies the vegetative buffer (species and planting details), provides a clear statement of which trees will be preserved and how roots will be protected during construction, and offers a simple massing envelope or elevation so abutters can see probable house sizes. The applicant also agreed to show the drainage details and the homeowner association maintenance obligations for the stormwater system at the next hearing.

The Planning Board will revisit the item at its March 4, 2026 meeting, when members expect to see the requested drawings and technical clarifications.