Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wetlands Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Revere commission orders cease-and-desist at 29 Putnam Street after resident complaint about wetland mowing
Summary
After a resident described repeated mowing and vegetation removal in a protected wetlands area at 29 Putnam Street, the Conservation Commission voted to issue a cease-and-desist and to revisit the site within 30 days; the property’s driveway litigation remains separate.
The Revere Conservation Commission voted to issue a cease-and-desist to the owners of 29 Putnam Street after a neighbor presented photos and described what she called ongoing and illegal mowing and vegetation removal in a protected wetlands area.
Wendy Sheridan, a long-time Oak Island resident, told the commission she had documented the owners mowing well past the property’s recorded boundary and cutting phragmites that historically protect adjacent yards from tidal flooding. "They're mowing all the way out — it's become a large rectangle when the parcel is actually a triangle," she said, showing MassGIS images and photographs to the commission.
Commissioners said the driveway matter has been in litigation and that court actions and fines already exist for the earlier illegal driveway work. But commissioners distinguished the driveway litigation from the current wetland-mowing complaint and moved to issue a new enforcement letter addressing the ongoing vegetation removal in the marsh.
The commission voted to send a cease-and-desist order and to revisit the site in 30 days to verify compliance. Commissioners emphasized that further enforcement actions, including fines, would be considered if the order is ignored. The commission encouraged the complainant to continue documenting incidents with time-stamped photos and to return with evidence if the work continues after the order.
What’s next: staff will issue the cease-and-desist letter to the property owner, the commission will perform a follow-up site visit within 30 days, and if violations continue the commission indicated it will pursue further enforcement in coordination with city departments and, if appropriate, MassDEP.
