Roxbury commission approves Singer family Picket Road home with added erosion and drainage safeguards

The Roxbury Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission on July 23 approved an application from the Singer family to build a single-family home at Picket Road, contingent on the revised site plan the applicant presented to reduce runoff into adjacent wetlands.

The applicant, Heather, said the proposed driveway was shifted to reduce slope, wood chips would stabilize the hillside during construction, and the pool was moved 50 feet farther from the wetland edge. “We moved the driveway and we also put wood chips in the front to stabilize that hillside for construction,” Heather told the commission. The project team also described an infiltration drywell for roof drainage and a gravity-flow septic system sited to minimize disturbance.

Commissioners pressed the engineer on driveway grade and sediment controls; the engineer reported test pits and perc rates showed generally sandy, well-draining soils (percolation reported near 6 minutes per inch) and said the disturbance footprint would be limited to about 5,000 square feet. Commissioners recommended layered erosion controls (silt fence, staked hay bales, construction fencing) and additional driveway drainage such as an infiltration trench along the lower side.

After discussion a commissioner moved to approve the application as a regulated activity; the motion was seconded and carried. The transcript records the motion and the chair’s announcement of approval, but specific roll-call tallies were not provided in the record.

The commission’s approval includes the proposed erosion-control and drainage measures as described at the hearing and requires that the applicant provide the revised plans to staff and the commission for review before construction begins. The item will appear on the next agenda for any required follow-up and to confirm that the final, stamped plans and erosion-control details have been received.