By Journal Staff
The Revere Conservation Commission (ConsComm) held a lengthy (2 & 1/2 hours) meeting last Wednesday evening, May 6, in the City Council Chambers. Brian Averbach (who served as chair), Joseph LaValle, Bernardo Sepulveda, Thomas Carleton, Anthony Parziale, and Wilson Correa were on hand for the session.
The members first took up a request for approval of a Notice of Intent (NOI) for an addition to a home at 57 Chamberlain Ave., which is located three homes in from Rice Ave. at the Point of Pines.
The homeowner, who appeared on her own behalf, said she is seeking to expand an existing deck.
“What you’re going to end up doing is going to be beautiful when it is done and will be a benefit to the neighbors and the whole community there,” said Averback.
“You did a really good job and the plan is great,” added Parziale.
“She is an amazing neighbor and she has complied with everything this commission has asked her to do,” said Ward 5 City Councillor Angela Guarino-Sawaya.
The members voted unanimously to approve the application.
Next up was a request from John Ho, the owner of 1012 North Shore Road, who came before the board with a Request for a Determination of Applicability (RDA) for a driveway renewal project.
“You have returned this to its original state,” noted Carleton, after which the commissioners voted unanimously in favor of a negative determination of applicability, which means that the project does not fall within the jurisdiction or purview of the ConsComm.
The commission then heard a request for a Certificate of Compliance for the completed project at 84 Arcadia Street. Eric Bradanese from Engineering Alliance, LLC appeared on behalf of the applicant.
“Your company did amazing work,” noted Averback of the townhouse project. “You went over and above. This is a huge improvement to that neighborhood.”
Parziale, a resident of Arcadia St. who spearheaded opposition to the original proposal three years ago for a 24-bed restorative housing and educational facility for homeless individuals, also favorably about the completed project.
The next item on the agenda was a request for an NOI for a development at 690 Washington Ave. Justine Fox from the engineering firm of Williams & Sparages spoke on behalf of the application, which will involve the razing of the existing structures and construction of a two-story duplex dwelling with an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) for a total of three units. Fox noted that the property lies in a FEMA flood zone and that there will be free-flowage for flood water underneath the structure.
“This will be a big improvement that will beautify the neighborhood,” said Averback. The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the NOI.
The next matter was a request for approval of an NOI for Phase 2 of the Route 1A roundabout project for the Gibson Point access road. Julie DeMauro, the city’s Transportation Coordinator with the Dept. of Planning and Development, who is serving as the project manager, presented the application to the ConsComm. Peter Wroblewski from the traffic engineering firm of Howard Stein Hudson and Alexandra Gaspar, an environmental scientist with Western & Sampson, also were on hand for the application.
“This is all part of the Riverfront Master Plan process,” said DeMauro. “The purpose of the project is to provide access to Gibson Park without having to drive through the adjacent Riverside neighborhood.”
Gaspar discussed the environmental impacts of the construction on the nearby barrier beach and coastal dune. She said that there will be reseeding and native plantings as part of the project. Wroblewski said construction is expected to get underway in the summer of 2027 and will last for about four months.
Guarino-Sawaya told the commission that the residents of Riverside want to ensure that there will be no vehicular access to the park through their neighborhood and that they want walking access to the park.
In response to a question from a Pt. of Pines resident about the impacts upon wildlife and the environment, DeMauro responded that the project has undergone extensive environmental reviews by numerous state agencies.
The commissioners also discussed at length the aspect of the proposal that calls for an asphalt roadway, with Carleton suggesting that permeable pavers would be preferable. However, DeMauro pointed out the additional cost of using pavers, as well as the better durability and easier maintenance of asphalt vs. pavers.
The commission voted 5-0 (Carleton recused himself) to approve the NOI.
The next matter on the agenda was a preliminary presentation by Scott Morrison, a Professional Wetlands Scientist (PWS) from the engineering firm of Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB), pertaining to the possible development on a patch of what essentially is urban wildland in the vicinity of Fenno Street.
The wooded area is immediately adjacent to Route 1 and is entirely within the boundary of the City of Revere at the Chelsea line near public housing in that city. The land has been used as a dumping ground for decades — it is littered with debris of all sorts — and most recently was even a homeless encampment.
Morrison said he eventually will be asking the commission for an RDA to confirm that a concrete-lined diversion channel (which has been in existence for more than 60 years and that runs through the site) would meet the definition of a man-made “canal” under the Wetlands Protection Act (WPA) and to confirm the site as an “historic dumping ground and degraded area” prior to August 7, 1996 under the WPA.
Morrison noted that the diversion channel, which proceeds under the Northeast Expressway and eventually drains into Mill Creek, is subject to tidal flow.
The commission will be visiting the site ahead of next month’s meeting when VHB will be seeking a vote on the question of an RDA.
In the last piece of business, the commissioners heard a complaint from Wendy Sheridan, a life-long resident at 36 Putnam Rd., regarding the alleged “mowing into the wetland beyond the property line” by the owner of 29 Putnam Rd. Putnam Rd. is at the tip of the Oak Island neighborhood and is surrounded by Rumney Marsh.
The commissioners voted unanimously to issue a Cease and Desist to the homeowner to prevent further mowing in the wetlands.