Weymouth Commission Continues Northern Avenue Variance, Seeks Legal Counsel Advice

WEYMOUTH — July 30, 2024 — Weymouth Conservation Commission advanced two major coastal projects while continuing a contested wetland-variance dispute to its August 27 meeting. The commission opened public hearings on the Weymouth Neck Infrastructure Improvement Project — a planned replacement of approximately 3,100 linear feet of deteriorating seawall on Fort Point Road, with new drainage outfalls ranging from 30 to 48 inches and a natural sand berm at George Lane Beach — and on a remediation plan for the Kings Cove conservation restriction area at 82-90 Bridge Street, where contractor Timmons Group's Dennis Moran and town engineer Jay Donovan presented the seawall design, and VHB's Seth Luttrell described plans to dredge 630 cubic yards of nickel- and vanadium-contaminated fill and replace it with clean cobble. Both hearings were continued pending a Division of Marine Fisheries review letter and a draft order of conditions, respectively. On the contested zero Northern Avenue single-family proposal, peer reviewer Brandon Fanniff of Ecosystem Solutions flagged the site's location within Whitman's Pond Outstanding Resource Water, the near-total absence of construction staging room, and unresolved stormwater standards, while District 5 Town Councilor Gary McDougall and resident Brian Cook argued the lot is effectively unbuildable; the commission voted to consult town counsel on taking-clause implications before acting on the 25-foot buffer variance. The commission also unanimously issued a final certificate of compliance for 75 Fennell Drive — the Weymouth Club — after the applicant completed required wetland replanting of 10 button bush, 25 black willow, and 25 speckled alder.