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.