Rochester’s Conservation Commission began its meeting Tuesday by signing the Certificate of Completion for a 14-year-old project.
That long ago, then-Conservation Agent Laurel Farinon noticed the storage of concrete blocks near wetlands at 0 and 107 Cranberry Highway and said they needed to be removed. Tuesday, project engineer Bill Madden reported the removal project has been completed. The Conservation Commission approved the Certificate of Compliance with minimal discussion.
Next, the board also signed without debate an Amended Order of Conditions for work to install a portion of Townhouse Building Seven and a wood deck at 22 Cranberry Highway to include double catch basins, an overflow diffuser with associated riprap and a drainpipe. No work will be done within the 25-foot, no-disturb buffer, the petition promises. Commission members agreed to the amendment without comment. It is the site of a planned townhouse development and a 68-unit, age 55-and-over, senior-living apartment building within Rochester Crossroads.
Drawing more discussion was a Notice of Intent Public Hearing for plans to construct a single-family home on Walnut Plain Road filed by Botelho Custom Homes. Project engineer Steve Carvalho of Farland Corporation, attending the meeting virtually via Zoom, said that this house on the 87,000-square-foot parcel had been placed closer to wetlands because the proposed septic system had to be farther away from the proposed well. Walnut Plain Road abutter Pamela Souza provided the push back here. She said she was representing an elderly neighbor who wanted to know how many homes will be built there. Initially, it was to be only one. Carvalho explained there will be three homes built there after two more groundwater perc tests were successful there. The commission approved the plan with standard Order of Conditions and a demand that the wetlands border be clearly marked.
Lastly, the commission approved a new proposed site plan for 7 Forbes Road. Chair Christopher Gerrior noted the design has changed from a two-story home to a ranch-style home, taking the plan out of the commission’s jurisdiction.
The next Rochester Conservation Commission meeting will be February 1 at 7:00 pm in Town Hall, 1 Constitution Way.
Rochester Conservation Commission
By Michael J. DeCicco