The April meeting of the Hudson Conservation Commission saw members revisit The Meadows apartment project, as representatives Don and Dillon Dumont returned for a follow-up presentation. The project, which proposes a 116-unit residential complex off Central Street, has been under review for several months, but the latest discussion revealed confusion over updated plans, wetland impacts, and communication between town staff and the applicants.
“I think we’re just looking for feedback. You guys have had it for a while,” said Don Dumont as the presentation began.
Speaking as a Hudson resident, Dillon Dumont added that the team had uncovered “additional information” regarding how the development might affect the surrounding environment. He noted that a previously unknown wetland crossing already exists on the property, a remnant of a state asbestos remediation project from the early 1990s.
“A crossing to the wetland is already existing today,” Dillon explained. “We’re assuming, we can’t find any record of it, but we’re assuming that when the state went back there to mitigate back in the early 90s, they actually built out a gravel road with a 16 to 18 inch culvert. We wanted to bring that to your attention because it changes the permanent impact to the wetland.”
Because of this discovery, the projected impact on the wetland buffer was lower than originally estimated. Some details, including drainage design, had also been delayed due to March’s heavy snow cover.
“Did you say anything about the drainage design? Is it a curb system? Has anything changed?” asked Vice-Chair Ken Dickinson.
The Dumonts responded that the updated plan includes “additional curbing” and that the drainage system was designed with the area’s high water table in mind, a concern given the neighborhood’s history of flooding during heavy rain.
Commissioner Chris Cameron questioned whether the reduced buffer impact, from 75 feet to 50 feet, had triggered any staff concerns.
“Are the impacts reduced?” he asked. “Were there any staff impacts related to reducing the buffer?”
Dillon explained that the change stemmed from different buffer requirements for residential versus commercial developments. However, Director of Development Services Elvis Dhima noted that town staff had raised concerns about the “scale of the impact” and that the applicant may need to resubmit materials.
“There’s comments from staff related to the conditional use permit. It was provided to the applicant back in February when we got it, and to the Conservation Commission related to questions you may have for this project,” Dhima said. “Obviously, the applicant probably has to submit a new application related to the new wetland buffer impacts.”
The discussion then shifted to a larger issue: whether the Commission had received the most recent version of the project plans.
“You indicated there were some changes, but I don’t have any updated plans,” said Dickinson. “This was listed twice on the agenda, but there is nothing in the packet to tell me why this was on the agenda.”
Commission member Kathy Griswold added that the conditional use permit checklist still showed numerous items pending future submission.
The Dumonts acknowledged the confusion, citing the volume of back and forth communication and multiple plan revisions.
“There’s been a significant amount of conversation back and forth with many plans being submitted,” Dillon said. “We’re onto the second review. The goal here was to get your feedback on the project.”
Dhima clarified that while staff had digital copies, hard copies must be provided by the applicant.
“We have PDFs, but we don’t have hard copies, those get provided by the applicant,” he said. “If you have certain sheets you would like them to provide, you can request them.”
The applicants agreed to send any missing materials and expressed interest in returning for another meeting to obtain a formal recommendation before the project moves back to the Planning Board.
The Hudson Conservation Commission is scheduled to meet again on Monday, May 11, at 7 p.m. in the Buxton Room at Town Hall
