Conservation Commission Continues Indian Ridge ADU Filing, Issues Cease and Desist

Conservation · Meeting of January 26, 2026

Bridgewater Conservation Commission continued an accessory dwelling unit filing and issued a cease and desist order at its January 26 meeting. The commission voted 4-0 to continue a notice of intent filed by Matthew and Lois Rivers for a one-bedroom ADU at 29 Indian Ridge — a parcel straddling riverfront and 100-foot buffer zones — to March 12, citing heavy snowpack that prevents members from inspecting the wetland delineation flags. The commission approved a full certificate of compliance for 225 Whitman Street and a partial certificate for 15 Hiawatha Trail, the latter carrying a $6,000 holdback for loam and seeding with a July 1 completion deadline, after Commissioner Eileen Frisco warned that without a holdback "we have to chase somebody." A cease and desist order was voted 4-0 for 25 Birch Hill Road, with a new conservation agent set to begin the following week.

CED Director Robert Rulley reported he will seek a cost estimate for hiring an outside consultant to revise the town's wetland protection bylaws, contingent on the outcome of a budget process the town is entering with preliminary indications of a deficit.

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Source: the Conservation meeting of January 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.