Essex committee urges removal of invasive barberry, recommends tree palette for 58 Center Road triplex

The Town of Essex Conservation & Trails Committee voted to transmit formal landscaping recommendations for a proposed triplex at 58 Center Road, including a prohibition on invasive or otherwise unsuitable plants and guidance on street trees.

Sarah (committee member), who reviewed the applicant's plant list, said the plan included barberry and blue star creeper and recommended replacing them with native or hardy alternatives. "No planting of invasive or unsuitable species," she said, and read the committee's recommendation to "replace barberry with Physocarpus (Ninebark) 'Diablo' and replace blue star creeper with Phlox divaricata." Cheryl Vanips, a resident who spoke during public comment, had earlier described local stormwater work and supported outreach and workshops on planting.

Committee members also counted nine indicated street-tree placeholders on the plan and recommended using at least two different species to improve resilience and habitat value. The committee suggested white oak, red maple, catalpa or honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos) as candidate species but emphasized that species selection should match soil, wetland and salt‑tolerance conditions. "Make sure the selected species are appropriate for the soil type and condition," the readback of the motion stated.

The committee moved and seconded the recommendations and the chair called for a single vote on the package; members present responded "I," and the motion was recorded as approved and transmitted to the developer and plan reviewer (Hans to send the memo and PDF). The committee said it would hold the votes on all recommendations together and send them as one transmittal.

Next steps: Hans, the committee contact, will transmit the recommendations to the developer and to town reviewers. The committee also asked staff to include a brief justification for species substitutions and to ensure the developer checks soil/salinity/wetland constraints before final planting decisions.

Notes on evidence: The committee read and amended the recommendations during the meeting; the motion and approved transmittal were recorded during the meeting's business items.