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Plympton planning board to comment to MEPA after developer reduces committed open space
Summary
The Plympton Planning Board voted to submit a letter in response to a MEPA Notice of Project Change for Ricketts Pond Estates, noting the developer's apparent removal of previously committed 33% open space and emphasizing the property lies in Groundwater Protection District Zone 1.
The Plympton Planning Board voted unanimously on April 7 to submit a comment letter regarding a Notice of Project Change filed under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) for Ricketts Pond Estates.
Jared Anderson, a Lake Street resident, presented information to the board describing differences between the project's 2018 MEPA submission and the new filing. The board noted that the 2018 submission included a commitment that roughly 33% of the parcel would remain as open space; the Notice of Project Change does not show that same open-space commitment, and MEPA reviewers had flagged the omission.
Chair Ann Sobolewski and members said the planning board would emphasize in its letter that the property lies within Groundwater Protection District Zone 1, where open space provides protection for the town’s aquifer. The board also referenced that the Board of Health supports retaining the 33% open space. Because town staff received the MEPA-related email after the deadline noted in the correspondence (letters received before April 8 would be weighted more heavily), the board voted to submit comment after April 8 and asked that the record note the timing limitation.
The motion to submit a comment letter passed unanimously. The town’s letter will state planning and groundwater protection concerns and will be sent as the board’s formal comment on the MEPA Notice of Project Change.
