Medford Conservation Commission Unanimously Approves Three Wetlands Project Orders

MEDFORD -- January 29, 2025, Medford Conservation Commission approves three wetland-area projects with expanded environmental conditions at special January session. The commission voted unanimously on all three notices of intent at its January 29 meeting, the third hearing in four weeks for each of the continuing applications. The most contested approval was for 28 Sycamore Street, where applicant representative Rick Salvo of Engineering Alliance presented a revised parking expansion plan that reduces new spaces from 14 to 12 to preserve two 36-inch canopy trees, within a site that will total 61 parking spaces. Special conditions attached to the order require an invasive species management strategy, targeting Japanese knotweed, oriental bittersweet, garlic mustard, and phragmites, submitted before construction, native seed establishment monitored over three growing seasons, debris removal at an on-site particle separator, and no snow disposal in vegetated or resource areas. Neighbors from Sherman Place and Sherman Court, who attended multiple hearings, raised concerns about flooding, mud runoff, and wildlife habitat; the commission noted it lacked jurisdiction over existing municipal drainage but confirmed the proponent's compensatory storage exceeds the regulatory minimum. The Mystic River Road improvements, DEP file 215-0239, were approved with a condition requiring consultation with the city tree warden if significant grading near existing trees occurs during construction. A residential grading plan at 53 Winford Lane was approved with conditions requiring a wetland boundary marker sign and use of a New England wet seed mix.