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Wetland delineation, native plantings and a written wetland scientist opinion required before final action
Summary
The applicant proposed planting native trees and cleaning up urban fill near a wetland buffer; the board accepted that as potentially beneficial but required written verification from a wetland scientist or state agency before approving modifications to the buffer.
Applicant representatives proposed planting native canopy and understory species to improve a degraded buffer and described the disturbed area as urban fill. They said those plantings would improve the site compared with existing conditions; the applicant supplied a written statement from a wetland scientist in the packet but the board requested the wetland professional verification be explicitly included in the record.
Board members noted the LDR allows buffer modification only with evidence that redevelopment will have a net positive effect on wetland health. The applicant said the proposed plant list is native and they would revise cultivars if requested. The board asked the applicant to secure written verification from the wetland scientist (and coordinate with the state ANR wetlands program if needed) and to move proposed trees out of the regulated buffer if the delineation indicates they fall inside the protected area.
