The Southborough Conservation Commission is preparing a detailed comment letter to the Zoning Board of Appeals on a proposed Comprehensive Permit (40B) for property at 250 Turnpike Road, saying the application lacks required wetland and stormwater information and encroaches extensively into the commission’s 20-foot buffer zone.

Melissa (staff member) told commissioners she had reviewed peer-review reports from Lucas Environmental (wetland peer reviewer) and Howard Stein Hudson (civil engineer) and pulled from those reports the most important deficiencies to include in the commission’s letter. Staff recommended that the ZBA require a focused assessment of vernal-pool habitat and wildlife movement impacts because plans show significant work and permanent lawn areas inside the 20-foot restricted zone. Melissa said the vernal-pool assessment “would allow us to determine if there's going to be a potential loss of habitat, which is a protection under our bylaw.”

Commissioners emphasized several recurring concerns: buildings and lawns shown by the applicant are located within the 20-foot no-touch buffer, retaining walls may impede wildlife movement, and foundation drains or other discharges appear close enough to pose wetland impacts. Several commissioners described the plans as showing a “complete disregard of buffer zones” and urged that any waiver requests be justified with specific evidence, not blanket statements.

Staff said Howard Stein Hudson’s civil review runs more than 30 pages and that multiple stormwater and drainage calculations or design connections remain missing or inconsistent. The recommended next steps in the commission’s draft letter include requiring: an explicit vernal-pool habitat assessment; justification for any requested bylaw waivers (including demonstration that waivers are necessary and unavoidable under relevant regulations); corrected stormwater calculations; and redesigns to reduce or eliminate encroachments where feasible. Melissa said she planned to add a comment reiterating that the commission typically grants only limited or temporary waivers and expects mitigation or trade-offs when encroachments are allowed.

Commissioners said they would submit the comments to the ZBA and track any revised plans or additional materials before offering further technical review.