Dover Conservation Commission issues enforcement order for Hammonds Crossing tree clearing

DOVER — September 13, 2023 — Dover Conservation Commission advances enforcement orders and opens 40B wetland hearing at packed September meeting. The commission voted unanimously to issue an enforcement order against both current and previous owners of 14 Hammonds Crossing for substantial unpermitted tree clearing in the wetland buffer zone, extending the restoration plan deadline to approximately November 1 after current owners Mike and Dot Sus said they had contacted the town before touching any downed trees. The commission's most complex ongoing matter — a contested enforcement order at 12 Miller Hill — grew further when Conservation Agent Janet Bowser reported that roughly 1,830 inches of tree diameter had been removed in the 100-foot buffer zone alone, prompting commission member Jim to estimate restoration could require planting approximately 1,400 trees; members discussed seeking town counsel guidance on whether a monetary payment for off-site conservation could substitute for full on-site replanting. The commission also opened a formal ANRAD hearing for a 17.07-acre Junction Street parcel where PY Homes of New England is seeking wetland boundary confirmation ahead of a potential 40B development, approving a $1,600-to-$2,400 Ecotech peer review, and heard Bowser report her highest-ever monthly invoice at $13,982.50.