The Conservation Commission at its July 9 Meeting in the police station conference room had a light agenda but still managed to promote associate member Alex Hansell to full commissioner status.
Previously, Hansell was an associate member. The commission’s unanimous decision to promote him is still pending Select Board approval.
The commission, last Wednesday, reviewed other town projects and discussed the commission’s jurisdiction for those projects: a condominium development at 78 Wareham Road, the conversion of an industrial building on Barnabas Road, and a single-family home being proposed on Point Road.
Commissioners noted that the Wareham Road development is proposing walking trails, a feature that might trigger commission oversight at a later time.
For the Point Road project, an applicant wants to construct a single-family home but does not meet frontage requirements. The Planning Board recently discussed the case and did not take any issue with the proposal. Commissioners also had no issue with it.
The Planning Board recently took issue with the former Lockheed Martin facility’s proposal to be converted into affordable apartments. The facility closed down four years ago and for nearly two decades it produced naval products.
The Planning Board mostly took issue with the zoning configuration, which under town bylaws allows for residential use within industrial areas.
The developer of the project, dubbed Sippican Holdings LLC, pleaded a hardship to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) as it was once asked to demolish the building. After research, the ZBA decided that demolition would not be needed, and the building could still be rehabbed and reused.
The ZBA granted approval to turn the building into a residential area. Commissioners last Wednesday there is nothing within the proposal that would garner Conservation Commissioner concerns.
In other business, Town Planning Doug-Guey-Lee said the commission has some consultant applicants for a project that will look to diminish invasive species, notable phragmites, from the Brainard Marsh area.
Guey-Lee said oversight falls within the Department of Public Works and town engineer Meghan Davis will assume the role.
The meeting lasted less than 15 minutes and also included the payment of routine bills and approval of minutes from the June 25 meeting.
The next meeting of the Marion Conservation Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, July 23 at 7:00 pm in the Marion Police Department’s conference room.
Marion Conservation Commission
By Jeffrey D. Wagner