Dudley Planning Board Grants Partial Street Tree Waiver for Lions Estate Subdivision

DUDLEY — June 10, 2026 — Dudley Planning Board halves street tree requirement for Lions Estate subdivision and orders solar inspection. The board voted unanimously at its June 10 meeting to require one tree per lot — approximately 17 trees — for the Truman Drive development, down from a bylaw-required total of roughly 32 to 34, after engineer Patrick Doherty of Midpoint Engineering reported that 15 of 18 households surveyed by Galaxy Estates opposed any new planting. The board's planner argued the full waiver would eliminate trees from 83 percent of the subdivision and cited a 20 to 30 percent reduction in stormwater runoff as a direct municipal benefit, persuading the board toward a compromise placing one tree at each property line. The board also voted unanimously to send a formal letter to Building Inspector Nelson Berlingame directing a final inspection of SCP Solar's ground-mounted array on Oxford Avenue, which has been operating with an open building permit. A separate safety complaint from a Country Club Acres resident about a roughly 10-foot unguarded drop-off at the end of Par Five Lane — where delivery trucks currently turn around in private driveways — prompted board members to schedule a site visit, though no formal action was taken.