Commission Continues Wheelwright Park Tower Hearing, Orders Site Visit Before April 16 Vote

COHASSET — April 2, 2026 — Cohasset's Conservation Commission continued a contentious public hearing on a proposed wireless communications tower in Wheelwright Park, ordering a site visit before the April 16 session. The commission voted 5-0 at its April 2 Zoom meeting to continue NOI 26-03 and Stormwater Permit 26-04, filed jointly by Wireless Edge Towers and the Town of Cohasset, after commissioners raised unresolved questions about trenching an 18-to-24-inch wide utility conduit under an intermittent stream culvert, whether approximately 49 trees slated for removal within the upland tower compound trigger habitat review requirements, and whether the Article 97 land-swap underpinning the project satisfies a state legislative condition requiring an independent appraisal of the exchanged parcels. Commissioner Will Ashton said he saw "no justification for a variance" without convincing evidence that the work would have no adverse impacts on wildlife habitat, recreational interests, and aesthetics. In separate unanimous votes, the commission closed hearings and approved applications for a tree removal and replanting plan at 70 and 74 Black Horse Lane and an aluminum fence at 475 Jerusalem Road, ratified an enforcement order requiring the Cohasset Yacht Club to file a Notice of Intent by May 5 for unauthorized dock expansion at 99 Howard Gleason Road, and issued a Certificate of Compliance for a pool and stormwater project at 33 Hemlock Way.