Conservation Commission approves partial compliance certificate for 59 Shore Drive

SHUTESBURY -- April 23, 2026, Shutesbury Conservation Commission unanimously issued a partial certificate of compliance for 59 Shore Drive at its April 23 meeting. The board voted 5-0 to approve the certificate after the applicant presented a revised mitigation plan adding native shrubs, including clethra and fothergilla, within the property's 50- and 100-foot wetland buffer zones to offset a Goshen stone walkway and raised-bed planter installed near the lake. A full certificate is on hold pending establishment of grass seed and plantings, with the contractor required to reapply seed if germination rates fall short. Conservation Agent Scott separately reported completing wetland delineations at Southbrook Conservation Area in preparation for trail rerouting work, and the commission scheduled a draft review of property-use regulations for its May 28 meeting. The chair reminded members that a CPA-funded land purchase to expand Southbrook goes before Town Meeting on May 9.