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Wayham conservation commission clears several routine RDAs, approves seawall repairs and septic upgrades
Summary
On Jan. 7 the Wayham Conservation Commission approved multiple determinations of applicability and notices of intent, including a vinyl sheet-pile bulkhead repair in Buzzards Bay, a Title V septic upgrade on Cranberry Highway, and several single-family redevelopment RDAs; a larger coastal rebuild at 17 Atlantic Ave was continued for redesign on 30-foot no-activity-zone issues.
The Wayham Conservation Commission held a packed meeting on Jan. 7 and approved a string of routine permit requests, granting determinations and standard orders of conditions for several residential and shoreline projects.
The commission voted unanimously to close and issue negative determinations of applicability for a proposed single-family dwelling at 11 North Street and for a raise-and-rebuild at 30 Barn Street after applicants’ engineers confirmed work would be limited to land subject to coastal storm flowage and would not disturb wetland buffer zones. Brian Grady of GAF Engineering represented both filings and told the commission the projects would use municipal water and sewer, provide dry wells for roof runoff, and retain remaining resource-area vegetation where feasible. “We’re staying within the altered area,” Grady said during the first hearing; commissioners followed with typical permitting instructions: “Please don’t start anything until you get your paperwork,” the agent, Christine, repeated after each approval.
The commission also approved a Title 5 septic-system upgrade on Cranberry Highway. Brad Berto of JC Engineering described removal of an old cesspool and installation of a denitrification system (microFAST) to reduce nitrogen loading to nearby wetlands. Commissioners welcomed the upgrade as a water-quality improvement. “I’m glad to see another cesspool bite the dust,” one member remarked.
In Buzzards Bay, the commission granted a notice of intent for property owner Bruce Meyers to replace a failing granite block seawall with a vinyl sheet-pile wall installed behind the existing blocks. Brian Grady said the work will be done from the landward side with small excavators, and that the top course of granite will be removed and later salvaged where possible. Grady added the new wall will be raised about 6–8 inches to preserve handicapped access at the pier. Commissioners asked about sea-level rise margins and potential impacts from vibratory pile-driving on shellfish. The commission attached a standard order of conditions, including planting Spartina alternatives where stone is removed.
Votes on the routine items were unanimous on roll call where tallies were recorded. Commissioners repeatedly reminded applicants not to begin construction until receiving final paperwork and highlighted the town’s interest in long-term maintenance of active stormwater devices; one commissioner suggested the use of multi-decade maintenance bonds for systems that require periodic servicing.
Not every item was finalized: the most contentious hearing of the night, a rebuild at 17 Atlantic Ave, was continued to give applicants time to redesign portions of the project that encroach into the 30-foot no-activity zone and to better preserve mature trees. The commission asked the applicants to return on Jan. 21 with a revised plan that reduces footprint impacts within the 30-foot zone or explains why relief is necessary.
The commission also issued a batch of certificates of compliance on older files and confirmed wetland delineations for a Main Street property where no work is yet proposed. The group concluded the meeting having advanced several water-quality and coastal-protection measures while flagging the need for careful scrutiny of projects that expand work in the immediate coastal bank no-activity area.
