LEOMINSTER — During its meeting on July 28, 2026, the Leominster Conservation Commission approved notices of intent for three single-family homes near Pierce Pond, subject to additional wetland and erosion-control requirements.
The homes, proposed by Pierce Pond Realty Trust for 37, 43, and 49 Roche Avenue, are part of a small cul-de-sac development where one home has already been approved and additional houses are expected to be proposed in the future, according to Vice Chair Richard Gullick. Peter Bovenzi, who identified himself as the developer and said one of the houses is going to be his residence, represented the projects during the meeting.
The commission first considered the proposed home at 37 Roche Avenue and reviewed comments from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, which Conservation Agent Jesse Averka said were the same for all three properties.
MassDEP requested confirmation that all proposed vegetation clearing within protected resource areas had been accurately documented in the notices of intent. According to Averka, MassDEP also said the developer would need either a 401 Water Quality Certification or a recorded deed restriction limiting total cumulative wetland alterations on the entire parent parcel to no more than 5,000 square feet.
Bovenzi said he and his team planned to have a restrictive covenant recorded against the lots to ensure cumulative wetland alterations across the original parent parcel did not exceed 5,000 square feet.
The commission agreed that the conservation agent would maintain a running tally of any future wetland alterations approved on the lots to ensure the cumulative total did not exceed 5,000 square feet.
Before unanimously approving the notice of intent for 37 Roche Avenue, the commission added conditions requiring the restrictive covenant to include the bank of Pierce Pond and prohibiting equipment from being stored or operated outside the erosion-control barriers adjacent to the pond.
The commission then reviewed the proposed home at 43 Roche Avenue. Commissioner Nicholas Venti raised concerns about steep slopes on the property leading toward nearby wetlands and questioned whether the planned silt fencing and hay bales would adequately prevent sediment from reaching the protected resource area.
Bovenzi said the existing slope would be stabilized using standard measures, such as grass, but acknowledged that he could not provide detailed technical information because the project engineer was not present.
Other commissioners said the standard erosion controls should be sufficient if maintained properly. Averka agreed to inspect the site more frequently because of its proximity to the wetland and Pierce Pond.
The commission then unanimously approved the notice of intent for 43 Roche Avenue with the same additional conditions imposed on the first property.
The final proposal involved 49 Roche Avenue. Commissioners said that property presented similar erosion concerns and had less separation between the bottom of the slope and the protected resource area.
The commission agreed that additional site monitoring would also be conducted at that property before unanimously approving the notice of intent with the same wetland and construction restrictions applied to 37 and 43 Roche Avenue.
