Greenfield Conservation Commission Votes to Send Wetlands Concerns to ZBA Before Quarry Permits Advance

GREENFIELD -- May 12, 2026, Greenfield Conservation Commission votes to flag wetlands concerns to the Zoning Board of Appeals before any action on three Butternut Street quarry permits. The commission voted 4-0 Tuesday to send formal comments to the ZBA regarding special permit applications tied to the pending sale of the Mackin gravel operation, a 220-acre site at 37 and 33 Butternut Street that has been in operation since before modern wetlands regulations existed. Planning Director Ella Wise told the commission that the planning department is recommending the ZBA hold its hearings open until the Conservation Commission completes a full Notice of Intent review, noting that the proposed northern expansion into a Rural Residential zone crosses areas previously mapped as bordering vegetative wetlands and intermittent streams. Conservation Agent Jessica said the only wetland delineation on file dates to 2008, has expired, and was never fully approved. Five Adams Road and Rangeley Road neighbors spoke in opposition to the northern expansion, including Doug Stutz of the Stutz Realty Trust, whose family recently placed an 86-acre conservation restriction along the Fall River adjacent to the parcel, and farmer Brian Kleberg, who said disruption to subsurface hydrology could eliminate the natural springs that supply water to his herd of up to 75 cattle. The ZBA's first public hearing on the special permits is scheduled for May 14.