Newbury Conservation Commission Denies Order of Conditions for “Villages at Cricket Lane” Development
On November 23, 2021, the Newbury Conservation Commission issued a Denial Order of Conditions under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act for a proposed 24-home development on a forested parcel of land at 55 Pearson Drive in Newbury that contains extensive wetlands resource areas, including vernal pools. On behalf of local residents concerned about the project’s environmental impacts, Hill Law attorney Elizabeth Pyle successfully argued to the Commission that the project did not comply with state environmental standards, and that the developer had failed to provide the Commission with the information necessary to fully evaluate the project’s impacts on the wetlands. Wetland scientist Patrick Garner also provided information to the Commission showing that the project would harm the site’s vernal pools, and engineer John Chessia submitted an analysis stating that the proposal did not comply with state stormwater management standards and had omitted important data and testing. The Commission’s Denial confirmed that the project as-designed could not be conditioned to meet state wetlands protection standards.