Littleton Commission Defers Amazon EV Charging Permit, Cites Inadequate Feasibility Study

LITTLETON -- October 8, 2024, Littleton Conservation Commission defers Amazon EV charging permit and Foster Street invasive species plan at October 8 meeting. The commission, meeting via Zoom, declined to advance either a bylaw-waiver application from Amazon for 150 electric vehicle charging stalls at 151 Taylor Street or a request from MassDOT contractor Honest Corporation to begin herbicide treatment of invasive species along the Foster Street Reconstruction corridor, citing inadequate detail in both submissions. Commissioner Chase Kerbig said of Amazon's routing feasibility study, "I look at the feasibility study here and just don't buy the distinction, it looks a lot to me like it's inconvenient and expensive, not infeasible," and flagged that proposed replanting areas appeared to overlie a sanitary system and potentially conflict with the town's Trumbull Well infrastructure. The commission also noted that prior concerns about conflicts between proposed electrical conduit and a stormwater infiltration system had not been substantively answered. On the Foster Street invasive species matter, Kerbig said the commission would not authorize herbicide application without a complete integrated pest management plan specifying chemicals, application rates, and treatment areas. Both matters were continued to October 22. In the evening's only formal vote, the commission unanimously approved raising community garden annual plot fees from $15 to $20, the first increase in approximately five to seven years, while also directing staff to pursue a water grant from Littleton Water and Electric.