Littleton Conservation Commission Votes for Cloverdale Leash Rule, Rejects Broader Proposal

LITTLETON — March 19, 2024 — Littleton Conservation Commission votes to recommend leash rules only at Cloverdale, rejecting broader proposal. The commission voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend a leash-at-all-times restriction at the Cloverdale Conservation Area to the Select Board, citing the site's pending ADA-compliant trail as justification, but voted 4-1 against extending the rule to Bumblebee Park, Long Lake Park, and the Sanderson portion of Oak Hill Conservation Area. The majority argued the broader rules were unenforceable: "I frankly think we undermine our credibility by implementing regulations that we have zero intention of enforcing." The meeting had to redo an earlier vote after an open meeting law complaint found the prior agenda description too vague. The commission also continued a public hearing on a three-lot subdivision at 95 Taylor Street after one commissioner challenged the applicant's infiltration basin design, saying it was "entirely naive" to assume individual property owners would maintain the basins as specified, and demanding a revised analysis accounting for real-world long-term performance before the April 2 hearing.