Salem Conservation Commission Votes 7-0 on Contractor Bay Permits, Rewrites Easement Language

SALEM -- July 8, 2026, Salem Conservation Commission recommended approval of wetland permits for a 14-unit contractor bay and adopted a conservation easement for a Route 107 commercial property at its July 8 meeting. The commission voted 7-0-0 to send two conditional use permits for 9 Manor Parkway, covering 1,173 square feet of impact within the required 20-foot natural undisturbed buffer and 1,543 square feet within the 40-foot setback, to the Planning Board, with engineer Matt Ruth of McClure Engineering confirming the site is largely pre-disturbed fill with low habitat value. A second 7-0-0 vote accepted a permanent conservation easement over the rear parcel of the Kennedy Lake Toyota property on Route 107, formerly conditioned by the Planning Board in 2024 as part of a building addition approval, but only after members added language to Section 2C requiring conservation commission sign-off before any trees or vegetation may be removed. Community Development Project Manager Creighton Brubaker noted the easement must still clear the Town Council before the owner can obtain a certificate of occupancy. The commission tabled a $400-per-month maintenance quote for an existing beaver deceiver device, citing unanswered questions about scope, and noted the Conservation Fund stood at $2,032,000 as of May, with a $2,000 donation from annual contributor Ed Hawkins accepted by the Town Council the prior Monday.