Medford Conservation Commission Votes Unanimously on Two West Street Wetlands Cases

MEDFORD — May 20, 2020 — Medford Conservation Commission clears one West Street wetlands permit and delays another at first Zoom meeting. The commission voted unanimously, 6-0, to issue a certificate of compliance to Richard Monigle for a completed house at 37 West Street, formally closing out a multi-year order of conditions after Environmental Agent Dennis McDougall and Chair Katie Moniz both confirmed the site was fully stabilized. A second vote, also 6-0, continued a notice of intent hearing for neighbors Kelly Herstack and Hector Garcia at 35 West Street — a proposal to demolish a garage sitting near the Mystic River bank and add a 425-square-foot first-floor addition — until June 3, pending a planting plan, a brief alternatives analysis statement, stormwater review by city engineer Tim McGivern, and fill quantity information for the garage slab removal area. The commission also discussed a potential Community Preservation Act application to remediate a paved stormwater swale draining directly into the Mystic River near the city's housing authority property, with commission member Heidi offering to lead the effort in partnership with the Mystic River Watershed Association.