Lexington Conservation Commission Defers 475 Bedford St. Vote to June 4

LEXINGTON -- May 26, 2026, Lexington's Conservation Commission deferred its final vote on a proposed 150-unit residential development at 475 Bedford St., scheduling a special June 4 meeting to adopt special conditions before a June 9 statutory deadline. The five-member board voted unanimously twice, approving an amended order of conditions for 166 Spring St. and an order of conditions for 131 Hartwell Ave. before spending the bulk of Tuesday's remote meeting debating how to condition the larger Bedford Street project, which sits at the base of a wetland-adjacent slope draining from the Drummer Boy area. Member Kevin Burdell warned that denial risked losing on appeal and ceding oversight to the state: "If we do, then the state takes over and then it's a totally different ball game." The draft conditions circulated before June 4 will require native, no-cultivar plantings within the 100-foot buffer, a four-to-one shrub replacement ratio for trees removed within commission jurisdiction, phenology markers along the Building 3 maintenance strip, and an invasive species management plan, with Conservation Administrator Karen Mullins also noting that member Jason Metko was ineligible to vote after missing two consecutive hearings.