Auburn Conservation Commission Continues Rockland Road Hearing, Awaits Peer Review

AUBURN — October 22, 2025 — Auburn Conservation Commission continues contested Kettle Brook driveway hearing, issues two orders of conditions. The commission voted unanimously at its October 22 meeting to continue a public hearing on the 4749 Rockland Road redevelopment project — a proposed paved driveway running alongside Kettle Brook — to November 12, with Chairman Michael Garland saying a further continuation to December is probable while a third-party peer review of the engineering plans is completed. Central disputes include whether wetland flagging done in May 2024 during a DEP-designated drought year must be redone and whether the proposed asphalt berm, drainage channel, and arborvitae buffer provide adequate protection for the brook. Two Rockland Road residents offered detailed technical objections, with one commenter arguing the effective berm height above the road's binder course amounts to roughly a half inch — "A man on a truck is not even going to know there's a berm there." The commission separately closed the hearing on the Cassella Waste Management sewer lining project at 49 Sword Street and issued orders of conditions for both that project and a related Sword Street application.