Lexington Conservation Commission Advances 44-Unit Mass. Ave. Development to February Hearing

LEXINGTON -- February 3, 2025, Lexington Conservation Commission moves 44-unit mixed-use Mass. Ave. project forward while issuing enforcement orders with firm deadlines. The commission continued the hearing for a proposed five-story, 44-unit condominium development at 217 to 241 Massachusetts Avenue to February 24 after a lengthy presentation by attorney Mark Vaughn of Remer Bronstein, civil engineer Jack Sullivan of Sullivan Engineering Group, and landscape architect Jeff Toma of Jay Toma Land Design Studios; the applicant has arranged to plant more than 10,000 square feet of native species on Arlington-owned land in Lexington as off-site mitigation for work within the 200-foot Millbrook riverfront zone. Peer reviewer Mike Carter of GCG Associates noted the project increases impervious area in the riparian zone by 2,000 square feet, with mitigation offered to offset that. The commission also issued an enforcement order for 18B Bacon Street requiring a joint site visit by mid-March and buffer restoration plantings by May 31, closed that property's accessory dwelling unit hearing, and voted to issue both an amended enforcement order and an order of conditions for 1367 Massachusetts Avenue, requiring fill removal no later than March 30 and planting completion by May 31, with construction barred until the fill is out.