A bid to build a single-family home and in-ground pool on a vacant lot at 14 Aucoot Avenue drew some controversy from neighbors at last week’s Conservation Commission meeting.
Applicants Matthew Degroot and Jason Brasington’s application was heard by the commission last week due to some of the property falling within a wetlands buffer zone and near a barrier beach. According to applicant engineers, the home proposed will be on dry ground, a former yard, and the home will be raised on stilts in light of its proximity to wetland resources.
However, the application still raised concerns among neighbors, including direct abutter Lisa Adams. Adams and other neighbors expressed concerns that water will be redirected. The proposed home is also near some endangered species habitats, including the diamondback terrapin.
“It will disturb a significant portion of the buffer zone,” Adams said.
Adams said although the proposed house will not have a basement and will be built on stilts, the driveway and other portions of the property will be at ground level, which could impact that area’s flood zone. Adams also said that the state Department of Environmental Protection is changing its regulations to protect against coastal flooding and issues connected to sea-levels rising. The resident also said the applicant checked “no” for being within the habitat of endangered species. She said there are endangered species there per the state’s Natural Heritage program.
Another resident expressed concern over the condition of the road and said redirecting stormwater could put that street in further disrepair.
Commissioners confirmed that the project is outside the habitat of endangered species so the applicant did not have to file with Natural Heritage. Meanwhile, the state DEP has not changed its flood zone regulations so the commission can only go by current regulations.
Adams said new regulations will be unveiled in a few months, which could make building a new home on this lot a flood risk. Applicant engineers said storm water is being directed toward the wetlands resource area and should not impact adjacent properties. Commissioners asked to consider installing drywalls around the perimeter of the property to redirect water run-off and recharge it back into the ground.
Commissioners closed the hearing and will continue it on October 23. Commissioners also expressed concerns involving the boulders on the property not being reflected in current plans. Commissioners would like those boulders to be added to the design drawings.
In other business, Marion Realty LLC applied for a request for determination of a stream on a lot on Wareham Avenue, which floods onto town property at times.
Engineers reported at the October 9 meeting that there is a coastal river nearby, but the water’s height varies depending on weather. Sometimes water levels appear like a “monsoon” while other times the area is fairly dry, making it difficult to determine the volume of wetlands in the area before new development proceeds. Commissioners conducted a site visit after the October 9 meeting and determined that there is only an intermittent stream in that area and not a wetlands resource.
Marion Conservation Commission
By Jeffery D. Wagner