54 Cherry Hill Drive Site Expansions
Multiple site-plan approvals and safety fencing requirements for large building addition and parking expansion near wetlands.
Abiomed's expansion at 54 Cherry Hill Drive requires stormwater, wetland, and irrigation approvals. The Conservation Commission issued an Order of Conditions after granting a no-build waiver, and the Planning Board later approved the site plan with fencing and water-source conditions. The project advanced through sequential continuances and hearings in May and June 2026.
The 54 Cherry Hill Drive site expansion arose from Abiomed Incorporated's proposal for a building addition and parking lot expansion that would increase impervious surface by approximately 9,000 square feet while requiring work near an Isolated Vernal Pool and wetland buffer.
On May 26, 2026, the Planning Board continued the site plan review to allow further preparation, which set up subsequent reviews by both the Conservation Commission and Planning Board.
This continuance directly led to the Conservation Commission's May 28, 2026, public hearing on the Notice of Intent, where the applicant showed stormwater redirection to treatment facilities; the commission closed the hearing, granted a waiver for the 50-foot no-build zone, and issued an Order of Conditions, explicitly conditioning further progress on Planning Board site plan approval on June 9.
The June 9 Planning Board meeting then took up the site plan, focusing on landscaping, irrigation restrictions, and stormwater basin fencing; the board approved the plan subject to conditions including plan revisions for fencing type and height, exploration of alternate irrigation sources, snow storage adjustments, and removal of a noncompliant planting note.
Public comments at the Conservation Commission and Planning Board meetings highlighted risks to wildlife from fencing basins and skepticism about wetland boundary accuracy, while the applicant raised practical difficulties maintaining plantings without municipal water.
The project now stands approved by both bodies but remains subject to staff review of fencing details and alternate water sourcing before final implementation.
No further meetings on this specific expansion appear in the record after June 9, 2026.
On May 14, 2026, the Conservation Commission took up the Notice of Intent for 54 Cherry Hill Drive (DEP -1438). The applicant sought conditional approval for a sign installation but the commission continued the hearing after identifying an unresolved discrepancy in the classification of an isolated vegetated wetland, requiring review of new supplementary documentation before any decision.
The project originated with Abom Incorporated's April 28, 2026, request for a new 23,000 sq. ft. building and parking expansion from 169 to 267 spaces at 54 Cherry Hill Drive. The Planning Board opened the public hearing that evening, reviewed stormwater, erosion control, landscaping, and irrigation details, then continued the matter after expressing caution on water sources and stormwater safety measures.
The applicant must revise the plan set to include the fencing; the applicant will work with town staff to explore alternate water sources.
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