The Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission had a special meeting on Tuesday to object to the work of a local developer and to ask for notice as an abutter to the proposed work taking place at the intersection of Mill and Spring Streets.
MOSAC Chairman John Rockwell referenced a letter he wrote about Sherman Briggs’ potential plans for a residential development at the site. Noting that Briggs had once proposed but withdrew an application for a residential development, Rockwell compared Briggs’ latest application to his former plans and asserted that his most recent plan lacks stormwater drainage and can have an adverse impact on the bike path.
MOSAC members agreed at Tuesday’s special Zoom meeting that Rockwell’s letter to the Marion Planning Board represents the unanimous position of the commission and that MOSAC should be properly notified as an abutter of the proposed activities on the property.
“I raised the issue of stormwater drainage, and it did not meet the standards for the Town of Marion. Since that time, the lot has been filled, and instead of being a basin, it is a mound of water accumulating on site and is flowing onto our property,” Rockwell stated. “We can’t accommodate Sherman’s drainage. … We have enough problems dealing with our own water.”
Rockwell told the commissioners and highlighted in his letter that he shared with The Wanderer that there is not enough data about the area’s existing conditions, no proposed conditions, and no information submitted to determine if the area meets current runoff-control standards or provisions to control water runoff.
“I have reviewed the application and find that there is no information submitted with it to conclude that a Special Permit can be issued to comply with the bylaw,” said Rockwell, who contends that, since 2020, the area has been filled in a way to promote runoff onto adjacent properties.
Rockwell and fellow MOSAC members agreed that their commission should be notified sooner of such a development. “The Open Space Acquisition Commission has had no notice of this application. As such, the Commission has not met or deliberated on this matter,” Rockwell wrote in his letter. He asked that all hearings on the matter be postponed until MOSAC can further deliberate.
The Briggs property is adjacent to the Marion Shared Use Path, which as planned will run west to the Mattapoisett town line and east to Point Road.
According to a 2019 article in The Wanderer, a May 2018 Town Meeting approved the land for multifamily cluster zoning to provide the town with units attractive to Marion residents looking to downsize to smaller homes.
The Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission did not schedule its next public meeting upon adjournment.
Marion Open Space Acquisition Commission
By Jeffrey D. Wagner