Board approves wetland permits, flags zoning shift
Newbury's Conservation Commission approved wetland permits and learned a state budget rider ends lot-coverage limits on Plum Island.
Conservation · Meeting of August 18, 2026
Newbury's Conservation Commission approved wetland permits and learned a state budget rider ends lot-coverage limits on Plum Island. Vice-Chair Mick Brown presided for absent Chair Mary Rimmer, and the board issued certificates of compliance for 6 Courtney Drive and 84 Boston Road, then closed hearings and issued orders of conditions, 5-0 each, for a multi-parcel phragmites treatment project off Seaview Lane using roughly 30 gallons of a 1.5 percent glyphosate solution. Member Bob Connors told colleagues a new state budget line lets nonconforming Plum Island lots build to the setback line "by right," saying "there's no more FAR or lot coverage." Abutter Christine Wilkinson of 12 Pine Island Road urged scrutiny of a proposed garage project, citing 40 years of observed drainage patterns and recent basement flooding.
The board scheduled an August 25 site walk and continued several hearings, including a 23 Downfall Road subdivision, to September 1.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,529 words
Source: the Conservation meeting of August 18, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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