Conservation Commission orders lawn restored inside Bowditch Road conservation area

SUDBURY -- October 7, 2024, Sudbury Conservation Commission rejects lawn carve-out inside 22 Bowditch Road conservation restriction. Conservation Coordinator Lori told the commission a draft restriction would have designated an unpermitted lawn pocket a "special use area," but said "my preference is not to have a special use area" because it invites future encroachments. Member Kenneth Holtz called the choice "a no brainer" and said "lawn is not a special use"; Bruce Porter moved to require restoration to the original CR line, and the motion passed 6-0 under Chair David Henkels. The commission also issued a certificate of compliance for 173 Union Ave., continued three wetlands cases without discussion, and pressed engineer Ian Ansley of Meisner Brem on a proposed 20-by-10-foot paved extension within two and a half feet of an isolated wetland at 47 Stonebrook Road. Staff announced a $40,000 Sudbury Foundation grant, secured with OARS, for a rain garden on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail at Morse Road.