Costco site facing wetlands questions

The Norwood Conservation Commission (ConCom) met last week with attorney David Hern, representing 1 Technology Way Owner Alexander Argiros, to discuss possible wetlands issues on the site.

The site has some history, but the big news is that Costco is looking to put a new shop right in the middle of Route 1 in Norwood, on this very site.

The original issue on the site stemmed from a 2024 discovery of wetlands and work that ended up damaging said wetlands. Back then, Argiros was looking for a tenant to replace Analog Devices, which moved out. The company agreed to restore the wetlands as per an agreement with the ConCom.

Earlier this year, the company came back to ask for an extension, stating that work had taken longer than expected. A new temporary tenant was found – FM Global, whose headquarters was being rebuilt – and then, a new prospective permanent tenant was on the hook – Costco.

The landowner agreed to restore the wetlands. And since that time, Conservation Agent Carly Rocklen said there may have been more wetlands found on the site and a new wetlands delineation process – finding where all the wetlands and no work/no disturb zones are and marking their boundaries – may need to take place.

Hern said he felt this was moving the goal posts just a bit.

“They’ve been working on this with a delineation that was set two years ago,” he said. “That would be a concern for them, because then how long is a delineation good for?”

Scott Goddard, founder of Goddard Consulting and Landscape Architect, said when the extension was granted two or so months ago, they lined up contractors and workers to get everything in place.

“We’re all queued up to go, and then we got a letter from your agent telling us to hold off and requesting additional wetlands investigation,” he said.

Goddard said that wasn’t in the original order of conditions voted on by the ConCom and therefore could be in violation of the original order, and so they ceased work until last week’s meeting.

“We’re bound by the order of conditions,” he said.

Goddard added that they would need another 30 or so days to complete the work. The ConCom agreed and voted to allow the work to continue until September while the wetlands delineation continued.

Goddard said he felt changing the delineation at this point would have a negative effect on the original order of conditions.

ConCom Chair Catherine Walsh said she was worried about was the fact that the original Zoning Board of Appeals hearing on the Costco plan did not include the wetlands they had originally damaged. She said also that the original delineation they submitted for the site was completely visual and had no soil samples.

“I think after a number of years, we want a level of comfort that the delineation is accurate with a bit more robust sampling,” she said. “That’s what we’re thinking.”

Goddard said that case law supports the position that once a matter had been “adjudicated,” it was basically decided.

“I absolutely agree with you, and I think that’s why we’re allowing you to proceed,” Walsh said. “It’s not like we’re asking you to do additional work in our request that you do a delineation, we just want to be confident that a delineation with more in-depth analysis happens.”

“Don’t we have an order of conditions that effectively delineated all the wetlands on this site, and so then to what purpose would anybody want to do a new delineation, as all the plans were based on the decision from 2024?” said Hern. “If the commission or any other body could just go back and say, ‘Let’s do this again,’ when can a property owner or a tenant ever make plans to use the site? I’m already being asked questions like that.”

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Walsh said that Rocklen has seen wetland indicators since 2024, and added that 2024 was quite a while ago.

“Attorney Hern, with all due respect, if you guys had done the work timely, we wouldn’t be sitting here having this discussion,” she said. “So here we are, two years later, and our agent has been out to the site, and it appears the conditions may have been different. But I hear what you’re saying. You want to rely on something.”

In other news, Rocklen gave an update on reporting littering and dumping in wetland areas near the NorWest Woods development on the Norwood/Westwood line. She said the issue appears to be education, at least at this point, and as of the date of the meeting, fines were not forthcoming.

“We’re working together to hatch a plan that involves cleanup of litter twice a year, and educating the landscaping and snow plowing crew,” she said, adding that they would be required to review the previous wetlands agreements.

Rocklen also said she would be meeting with Norwood Sportsman’s Association members shortly at Guild Pond to figure out the start of the $200,000 feasibility study approved by Town Meeting last year.

The study will look at the options the Town has for the pond, as it owns it and the club uses it (though it sold it to the Town for a dollar decades ago). The club uses the pond for fishing and boating education for youngsters, but the dam regulating the pond’s level is eroding away.

The feasibility study is aimed at what the Town can do to repair, replace or demolish the dam. Rocklen said she also will be discussing vegetation management plans with the club for more timely updates to the area.

Also discussed at the meeting were issues around 8 Mill Pond, where the property owner has put structures too close to the wetlands resource area. ConCom members agreed to a retroactive review of most of the issues stemming from that construction, including a tree house, but said there was an area that was filled in that will need further review.