The Hopkinton, Mass., Board of Appeals approved all but one of the remaining special permits for E.L. Harvey's planned recycling center, capping more than 10 months of work on the proposal.
Harvey owner Jim Harvey said he was pleased with the board's decision. The Westborough company got six of the seven special permits it requested for the recycling center slated for its Hopkinton property.
The board's decision is loaded with conditions, and Harvey said he would have to speak with his attorney before deciding whether the business would appeal any of them.
The Board of Appeals denied the permit that would have allowed Harvey to store diesel fuel at the site. Ironically, Harvey did get a permit to build a fueling station. It just cannot keep the fuel there, based on the board's decision.
But the lengthy decision, which must be filed with the town clerk within three months, may face legal action from the Cedar Swamp Conservation Trust, a neighborhood group that opposes Harvey's expansion. The board still has to hammer out a final draft of its decision.
Trust President John Craycroft said after the vote that the board violated a town bylaw designed to protect the town's water supply. He said the group would review the board's decision with its lawyers and decide whether to appeal.
The Board of Appeals began the hearing on the project last October and closed the hearing last week. After closing the hearing, the board approved the first permit for a recycling center and took up the remaining six last night.
"I want to thank the board members for all their work and effort on this. I want to thank Mr. Harvey, and I want to thank the abutters for all their input," Davies said.
Besides the recycling center permit, Harvey received a special permit to: build a trash transfer station in a water supply protection area; repair trucks and cars on the property; warehouse recyclable materials; build on at least 15 percent or 2,500 square feet of property lying within a water supply protection area; and conduct activities involving handling of toxic or hazardous materials in the same area. Framingham (Mass.) Metro West Daily News