The Conservation Commission on Tuesday continued a hearing about razing and rebuilding a mosque after one member noted that the century-old building may be considered a historic structure.

Co-vice chair Ted Barker-Hook pointed out the building’s potential historic significance during the meeting, which lasted nearly four hours.

The Islamic Masumeen Center Of New England, located at 115 Wood Street, is about 100 years old, according to the applicant, the Masumeen Charitable Trust. The applicant sought permission to raze the mosque and build a more contemporary facility for worship.

New building for aging mosque proposed

This was the first presentation of the proposed plan. Mahmud Jafri, who represented the Masumeen Charitable Trust, said the trust acquired the building in 1995. It previously had been another house of worship.

“One of the key reasons for us to redo the building is simply the age of the building,” Jafri explained. “I think it has served its useful life.”

The new building’s architecture will fit in with the buildings around it, he said. It also will give a more “contemporary flair” to the look of the mosque.

“We wanted the building to represent our surroundings and the architecture of where we are living and what’s appropriate,” continued Jafri. “So we did not make it too ethnic or too specific to Islamic architecture.”

Increased public safety and parking also were stressed. Engineer Imad Zrein proposed 86 parking spaces.

Zrein added that the current parking lot has no stormwater mitigation. Water sheets off it onto Wood Street and the wetland area. Measures to manage stormwater will be installed, including a swale.

Glenn Krevosky of EBT Environmental Consultants noted that a wetlands delineation was performed in 2024. He inspected the site before the meeting and observed that “quite a few of the flags have fallen to the ground.” There also is an intermittent stream behind the property.

The environmental team detected Japanese knotweed on the western part of the site, which potentially could be controlled by the application of glycoside.

Conservation administrator Judy Day said that once an invasive species management plan is submitted, the team can work on that aspect of the proposal. The applicant noted that this is the best time of the year to control the spread of Japanese knotweed.

“There is more to be done,” Krevosky said of the plans. A septic system will be “well outside the 100-foot buffer zone.” The knotweed needs to be removed and the slope stabilized before the septic system can be installed.

Building may be historic

Barker-Hook pointed out that the age of the building may make it a historic site, preventing it from being demolished. He questioned whether the team had gone to the Historical Commission to make it aware of the proposed razing. It had not.

He noted that his wife, Nanda Barker-Hook, previously served on the Historical Commission. She told her husband that she believed the rule applied to all buildings over 75 years old.

The team planned to contact the Historical Commission. It will need to appear before the Planning Board and the Board of Health for project approval.

West Main Street violations ‘most egregious’ seen

A hearing regarding tree clearing violations for a proposed home off West Main Street near Elm Street showed that further violations were committed by the contractor, sending ripples of frustration through members.

After a prolonged discussion, applicant Yuan Li was assessed $1,800 in fines for the removal of six trees. If further violations continue, Recos said the commission would consider more fines because it is the property owner’s responsibility to work with the contractor and ensure plans are followed.

Day said erosion controls were “in severe disrepair” during a site visit on Aug. 20 and “almost nonexistent in several areas.”

Trees had fallen over a silt fence, she said. At least 11 trees were severely damaged, with “bark ripped off and branches broken.”

“We observed that the site had been grubbed, and there was unstable material throughout most of the project site,” Day continued. “We also observed some fairly significant dump piles of cut vegetation outside the limit of work.”

She noted that the applicant had been told on July 21 to fix erosion controls that previously were damaged by initial tree work. These repairs had yet to be made, and further violations occurred over the past month.

Day placed a cease-and-desist order on the site.

“There was obviously no respect for the boundaries here that we had really carefully worked through in approving the project with the applicant,” said chair Melissa Recos.

Li said she visited the site over the weekend and “did see significant ground disturbance in some areas.”

She added that the site is unstable. If erosion controls were installed now, the contractor would disturb them while doing previously approved tree work.

“This is the most egregious violation I have seen in my time on the commission,” stressed Barker-Hook. “This is frankly insulting, what’s going on at the site.”

When Li objected about proposed fines and became heated in her comments, Recos clapped back.

“I don’t want it to be presented that the commission is the bad guy here,” stressed Recos. “We also have a responsibility that we are supposed to uphold for these resources that we’re protecting that don’t have a voice at all.”

COC denied for Chamberlain Street lot

The board denied the issuance of a certificate of compliance for Lot 1 of 51 Chamberlain Street. Members cited the expansion of work beyond the scope of the plan and the need for better landscape management.

Day noted that Toll Brothers, the applicant, requested to close out an order of conditions for a single-family home built as part of the subdivision.

She pointed out “a few changes between the approved plan and the existing conditions plan” that the Toll Brothers engineer submitted to her. They included a modified house footprint, a slightly smaller driveway and some exterior modifications that do not impact the wetlands.

What concerned members was the continuing mowing beyond the permanent immovable barriers that delineate the wetland and in front of the house. There “just hasn’t been a ton of growth” since the previously mowed area was left alone, Day noted.

Strings on posts were put up as PIBs, Day added. Earlier that day, she observed that some were falling down.

Recos noted that the grass behind the house had “more of a meadow look.” The other areas did not meet that standard, she said.

She added that better PIBs need to be installed before she “felt comfortable” issuing the COC. A rocked line would work well. Members agreed.

No representatives from Toll Brothers attended the meeting to comment.