Pepperell Conservation Commission Approves Etchstone Lots 14 and 15 on Split 5-2 Votes

PEPPERELL — September 15, 2020 — Pepperell Conservation Commission split 5-2 on two single-family home lots in the Birch Drive Extension development at its September 15 meeting. Consultant Joe Pesnola, representing Etchstone Properties, appeared on fresh Notices of Intent for Lots 14 and 15 after a prior Order of Conditions expired July 29; he told the commission the basement floor elevation for each lot had been raised to elevation 98, just above the infiltration basin's calculated 100-year storm peak of 97.95 feet, to satisfy state stormwater separation requirements. Commissioner Pat Rice challenged whether field construction could reliably achieve a margin measured in hundredths of a foot, saying "I have been underwhelmed by the detail ability of bulldozer operators." The commission added a condition requiring certified as-built documentation of the actual basement floor elevation before closing out each order. In a separate unanimous vote, the commission issued a Negative Determination of Applicability for a Title V septic upgrade at 52 Shattuck Street, filed by Daniel LoCapo. A planting plan for 128 Brookline Street was sent back for a fourth revision after members described the submission as a confusing mix of two incompatible plans with multiple typographical errors.