Wayland commission denies Certificate of Compliance for 26 Rice Road, requires new filing

The Wayland Conservation Commission on May 27 unanimously denied a Certificate of Compliance for 26 Rice Road (DEP File no. 322‑925) and directed the applicant to file a new Notice of Intent.

Representatives Doug Dillon (Goddard Consulting) and Vito Colonna (Connorstone Engineering) described changes from the permitted plans: the house was built in a different location closer to the street, two subsurface drywells and two surface basins shown on the approved plans were reduced to one drywell and two basins, and a driveway bump‑out encroached closer to a resource area. Staff reported that many conditions of the original permit were not met, including preservation of an upland vegetated corridor, required replacement plantings associated with removal of about 75 trees, seasonal construction restrictions, monitoring of amphibian activity by a qualified professional, and submission of monitoring reports and replanting plans.

L. Hansen said vernal pool evaluations conducted before construction (2017‑2018) found the pool certifiable; a 2022 vernal pool report submitted post‑construction concluded the pool no longer met certification criteria. Commissioners discussed whether habitat alterations and loss of migration corridors likely reduced amphibian use and agreed the project did not comply with the Order of Conditions.

Commissioner Luke Legere moved to deny the Certificate of Compliance and require a new Notice of Intent; the motion passed by unanimous roll call vote (7-0). The Commission’s action requires the applicant to return with corrected plans, monitoring data and planting prescriptions to address habitat and buffer deficiencies before a new compliance determination can be considered.