Natick Rejects MassDOT's Route 9 Wetland Exemption Claim
Conservation Commission · Meeting of September 3, 2026
Natick's Conservation Commission pushes back on MassDOT over Route 9 stormwater plans. Conservation Agent Claire told the board she has repeatedly sought engineering plans from the state, which claims a bridge-exemption from wetlands review even as its own numbers show up to 20,000 cubic feet of added peak flow, roughly 400 gallons per second, into a channel already prone to flooding near Lake Cochituate. The chair called the situation something the commission needs "to go to battle on" and said Town Administrator John Marshall has been looped in ahead of a possible Select Board appearance.
Separately, the board unanimously approved a certificate of compliance for 84 Cottage Street and an order of conditions for a new house at 24 Peterson Road, continued a Notice of Intent for 17 Edgewood Avenue to September 17, and agreed to hire a vernal pool biologist, funded through its Wetlands Fund, before ruling on a request to remove four pine trees within the Winter Oaks conservation restriction.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,380 words
Source: the Conservation Commission meeting of September 3, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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