ZBA upholds no-violation finding at sand pit
The Plymouth Zoning Board of Appeals upheld the building commissioner's finding of no violations at a 33-acre sand and gravel operation on Hedges Pond Road, denying an enforcement appeal from the Community Land & Water Coalition.
Zoning Board · Meeting of August 17, 2026
PLYMOUTH — The Plymouth Zoning Board of Appeals upheld the building commissioner's finding of no violations at a 33-acre sand and gravel operation on Hedges Pond Road, denying an enforcement appeal from the Community Land & Water Coalition. Coalition representative Margaret Sheehan argued the site generates respirable crystalline silica dust and exceeds permitted excavation volumes, citing an engineer's estimate of 318,000 cubic yards against a 270,000-cubic-yard town permit. Property owner Eric Pontiff, of Standish Investments, called the complaint "totally a misconstrued project," saying 70 percent of the site is being filled, not cut.
Board member Ed said the commissioner's denial letter was "conclusionary" and should "show your math," but the board voted to uphold the decision and separately rejected, on a show-of-hands vote, the coalition's request to waive its $1,000 enforcement fee. In other business, the board unanimously approved Citizens Bank's conversion of a former Bertucci's restaurant at 6 Plaza Way into a bank branch and continued a Heather Drive shed permit to October 5 over conflicting dimensions.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,260 words
Source: the Zoning Board meeting of August 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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