Roxbury wetlands commission approves Murray house with stricter construction controls

An application to build a three‑bedroom house at 124 Wellers Bridge Road was approved Thursday by the Roxbury Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission with construction‑period conditions intended to protect the nearby Shog River. The permit applies to a two‑level dwelling with about 3,123 square feet of living area (a 3,307‑square‑foot footprint including an attached two‑car garage) and an estimated 0.5 acre of disturbance.

The project engineer, Brian Nef, told the commission he redesigned roof drainage after recent high‑intensity rain, switching from a concrete dry well to CTech 330 XL linear infiltration units "to provide a lot more surface area for drainage" and to exceed the 100‑year rainfall standard the plan uses. He said soils at the site are largely deep sand and gravel, which are highly permeable and suitable for infiltration, and confirmed the septic design has already received health department approval.

Commission discussion centered on construction‑period erosion control and habitat protections. Commissioners asked for additional measures to reduce sediment from reaching the river during earthwork, given the property lies inside the town's 200‑foot buffer. The commission required: a second row of silt fence below the proposed silt fence; protection of utility trenches after backfill using jute cloth or similar material to prevent erosion; written monthly site reports from the wetlands enforcement officer documenting erosion‑control condition (and additional inspections following rain events exceeding one inch); and one‑week advance notification to the wetlands enforcement officer before work begins.

The commission also noted the plan keeps a 100‑foot undisturbed setback from the river, includes retaining walls and a stone patio area to confine runoff, and contains a condition that soil stockpiles be sited outside the 100‑foot limit of disturbance. Commissioners discussed but did not require a separate biological survey after the Natural Diversity Database showed no mapped endangered species at the site.

After conditions were read into the record, the commission voted unanimously to approve the regulated activity. The approval allows construction to proceed subject to the conditions; the commission reminded the applicants that additional permits or modifications would be required if plans change.

The commission closure of the public hearing and the final motion were recorded without a named mover in the transcript; vote tallies were recorded as unanimous in favor.