Gloucester wetlands board OKs Little River pier with limits, pool, docks

Gloucester's Conservation Commission worked through more than 20 items on Oct. 7, from a new pier on the Little River to a backyard pool, and approved six projects with conditions meant to protect the water and wetlands next to them. Four members were present, and every vote was 4 to 0.

What happened

• A pile supported pier with a seasonal ramp and float at 12 Woodward Ave. was approved with strict limits: no motorized boats, no boats tied up where they would sit on the bottom, and no float in the water from March 1 to May 31 while smelt, alewives and eels spawn.
• Permits were approved for a retaining wall at 6 River Road, a new septic system at 2 Wallace Court near Wallace Pond, a saltwater pool at 11 Old Salem Path and a seasonal float at 29 Horton St.
• An after the fact permit for fill, stone and deck repairs at 7 Sumac Lane was approved, and the enforcement order on that property was closed.
• The commission approved a dune restoration plan for 137 Wingaersheek Road but kept that enforcement order open until the plantings go in.
• The commission ordered outside reviews for the Sargent Street junkyard road and the Long Beach parking lot wetlands lines, covered separately.

The Little River pier

The 12 Woodward Ave. project came back with about 14 square feet of new salt marsh plantings and about 150 square feet of native coastal plantings added since September. The city's shellfish constable had raised concerns about shellfish beds and spawning fish, so Commissioner Dave Sargent asked for 30 inch standoffs on the float, non toxic materials, seasonal removal with no storage on the marsh, the spring time of year restriction and two years of monitoring on the plantings. The commission closed the hearing and approved the filing on condition that a revised plan shows the float moved about 5 feet closer to the ramp, as the harbormaster asked.

Walls, pools and docks

At 6 River Road, across the road from the Annisquam River, a new concrete wall about 38 feet long will replace an old stone wall and sit about 11 feet farther from the river. The owner will add about 236 square feet of native plantings for 42 square feet of new hard surface. The commission asked for the plantings to move closer to the river and for pervious pavers to be noted on the plan.

The 2 Wallace Court septic plan replaces two cesspools and a dry well with a new system in the corner of the lot farthest from Wallace Pond and its spillway; the Board of Health had already approved it, and trees removed will be replaced two for one.

A next door neighbor of the 11 Old Salem Path pool said her yard sits about 8 feet lower and asked what happens if the pool leaks or is drained, and whether the pump noise could be controlled. The commission said noise is outside its authority and sent her to the building department, but added conditions that pool water be drained away from the wetland or trucked off site and that any dewatering during construction be treated first. The 29 Horton St. float, a near copy of one approved for 37 Horton St. last month, was approved on condition that state Chapter 91 and local float permits come first and that the float and gangway be stored outside the resource area each winter.

Sumac Lane and Wingaersheek

The consultant for 7 Sumac Lane accounted for the work done without a permit: about 16 cubic yards of loam, 2,800 square feet of sod and 19 cubic yards each of crushed stone in the driveway and in sinkholes on the wharf, plus a deck rebuilt in the same footprint. He said the old lawn was trucked to Ipswich and the grade barely changed. The commission approved the filing, with wharf wall repairs to be done by hand at low tide and plantings to be worked out with the conservation agent, then voted the enforcement order back into compliance. The agent warned that no work can start until the appeal period ends.

For 137 Wingaersheek Road, the owner's lawyer said the restoration plan now rests on the enforcement order rather than an old permit. Members agreed to approve it once two changes are made: remove language that implied vehicles could use the path outside piping plover season, and show a 3 foot path with no mat. Snow fencing was discussed and set aside in favor of more beach grass. The enforcement order stays open until the plantings are in and established.

What was decided

• Minutes of Sept. 16, approved.
• Continuances: 24 Kondelin Road, 37 Rocky Neck Ave., 103 Essex Ave., 23 Concord St. and 7 Sumac Lane (dock filing) to Oct. 21; 13 Concord St. to Nov. 4; Tommy's Island withdrawn without prejudice.
• 12 Woodward Ave. pier: hearing closed and approved with conditions.
• 6 River Road wall: approved with a revised plan.
• 10 Gale Road and 40 Sargent St. road: peer review ordered, continued to Nov. 4.
• 2 Beachland Ave. wetlands delineation: peer review ordered, continued to Oct. 21.
• 2 Wallace Court septic: approved.
• 7 Sumac Lane after the fact filing: approved; enforcement order EO-26-02 returned to compliance.
• 11 Old Salem Path pool: approved with conditions.
• 19 Estuary Way delineation: continued to Oct. 21.
• 29 Horton St. float: approved with conditions.
• 64 Holly St.: certificate of compliance issued; enforcement order EO-24-05 returned to compliance.
• 137 Wingaersheek Road: restoration plan approved with two changes.
• Adjourn: 4 to 0 at about 8:44 p.m.

What happens next

• Oct. 21, 5:30 p.m.: next meeting, with the Long Beach lot, Kondelin Road, Rocky Neck and Essex Avenue filings. The commission meets the first and third Wednesdays at the Rose Baker Center, 6 Manuel F. Lewis St., and on Zoom.
• Nov. 4: the Sargent Street road hearing returns.
• The city's roster page lists three openings on the commission.

Where to find the records

• Conservation Commission agendas and minutes on the city website.
• October 2026 past meetings, with the recording.

Earlier coverage: Gloucester boards order outside review of Sargent Street junkyard road (Oct. 18), the main hearing from this meeting. Gloucester Dogtown survey: $300,000, city should pay, DPW says (Oct. 17), with the Long Beach lot item. Gloucester OKs blasting study for Kondelin Road waste station (Oct. 17), the Board of Health subcommittee on the filing continued here. Gloucester planners take up Sargent Street subdivision Thursday as council panels weigh police grants (Oct. 1), which previewed this agenda.

How we did this: Cape Ann Current watched the meeting online and checked names against the agenda and the city's board roster. These are our meeting notes, not the commission's minutes; votes and conditions will be in the minutes when posted.