The Southborough Conservation Commission continued the public hearing May 1 on a Notice of Intent for 45 South Hill Road after the applicant had not yet received a DEP file number and staff needed time to review outstanding comments.

Project description: Cornerstone Engineering's Peter Cohen described plans for a 22-by-24-foot front addition (drive-under garage with living space above), driveway resurfacing within the existing driveway footprint and replacement of an existing cesspool located near the wetland. Cohen said the replacement would move the new septic as far from the wetland as feasible, install a fully compliant system with increased groundwater separation and abandon the cesspool by pumping, crushing and backfilling. The applicant also proposes a small 80-square-foot increase in impervious surface for a walkway, offset by a dry well sized to collect roughly 450 square feet of roof area "to more than offset the 80 square feet of increase," Cohen said.

Why it matters: Commissioners welcomed the removal of a cesspool that currently sits near and below the groundwater table. "The opportunity to get rid of a cesspool that is in operations is a big win for the local wetlands," a commissioner said, and staff agreed that a modern septic would be a tangible water-quality benefit. The commission also noted that work would occur within the 20-foot "no touch" buffer and therefore requires a separate waiver vote at a future hearing.

Outstanding issues and next steps: The applicant acknowledged reviews from town peer reviewers (Fuss & O'Neil and others) and said responses were being prepared; multiple commission members said they had not yet seen the DEP file number. The commission asked the applicant to clarify soil stockpile locations, a construction entrance and erosion controls, and to respond to specific delineation flags and invasive-species notes in peer-review comments. The public hearing was continued to the May 22 meeting; commission staff will circulate peer-review comments and the DEP file number when available. No vote was taken at the May 1 hearing.

Public comment and procedure: No members of the public spoke on the item during the May 1 session. Staff reminded the applicant that any work within the 20-foot no-touch buffer will require a separate vote for a waiver and that historical practice typically reserves mitigation requests for new impacts rather than long-standing prior disturbance.