In North Plymouth, a long-quiet Superfund site is suddenly back in the spotlight as neighbors square off with a national homebuilder over a big waterfront condo plan. The clash has turned a local land deal into a test of how much development residents are willing to accept next to a property with a toxic history, with a high-stakes permitting fight looming this spring.
Pulte Homes has rolled out a proposal for a six-story condominium complex with roughly 165 units on land that abuts the Plymouth Harbor/Cannon Engineering Corp. Superfund site. A petition opposing the project is already circulating, according to WBZ NewsRadio. One resident told the station, "I don’t want to see 180 apartments right there necessarily," even as others argue the town badly needs more housing options.
Rep. Keating Asks EPA To Step In
In a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency last Thursday (Feb. 12), Rep. Bill Keating urged federal officials to take a fresh look at the site and the proposed development, according to NorthPlymouthMA.com. He called for a structural integrity inspection, an updated risk assessment and a formal opinion on how heavy construction activity could affect the existing remedy.
Keating wrote that "the introduction of high-density housing fundamentally alters the underlying exposure assumptions" and asked the EPA to consider restoring fencing around the area and holding a public forum so regulators can answer residents' questions directly.
EPA Record And Five-Year Reviews
The EPA’s profile for the 2.5-acre Plymouth Harbor/Cannon Engineering Corp. property shows it was removed from the National Priorities List in 1993, but it remains subject to institutional controls and periodic five-year reviews. The agency’s sixth Five-Year Review, completed June 27, 2023, concluded the remedy "is still protective of human health and the environment" while also warning that sea-level rise and storm surge could affect long-term protectiveness, according to the EPA.
Arsenic Finds Complicate The Buyer’s Promises
Records from the state Department of Environmental Protection and a draft amendment to the land sale show that arsenic and other contamination were discovered on portions of the planned Pulte site. The DEP ordered the removal of thousands of gallons of contaminated water and hundreds of tons of tainted soil, the Plymouth Independent reports.
The original November 2023 purchase and sale agreement stated there had been no hazardous discharges. The draft amendment now acknowledges historical releases at 0 Sandri Drive and 39 Hedge Road and assigns responsibility for disposal to the seller, according to the Plymouth Independent.
Neighbors Split Over Housing And Safety
Local reaction has been anything but unanimous. Select Board member Deb Iaquinto called the revelation of nearby contamination "one more shocking revelation" and pushed for full transparency about what has been found and how it will be handled, the Plymouth Independent notes. Other neighbors have signaled they could support the condos if regulators can show that protections are solid and the site is safe for residents.
Environmental experts interviewed by the Independent said they would be comfortable with redevelopment if cleanup records and current safeguards check out. At the same time, several pointed to broken fencing and a rising water table as unresolved questions that could shape the site’s risk profile in years to come.
What’s Next
Pulte’s proposal is scheduled to land before the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals in April for a key permit request, a hearing that residents say will be a magnet for public scrutiny, according to WBZ NewsRadio. If the EPA decides to open a new review or issue construction advisories - steps Keating has explicitly asked for - the local permitting timeline could slow while agencies finish their assessments and put any recommended safeguards in place.
Legal And Regulatory Stakes
Institutional controls and deed restrictions still govern how the Superfund parcel can be used, and the EPA notes that those restrictions are required to keep the cleanup protective of human health and the environment, according to the EPA.
Keating’s letter urges the agency to evaluate how new construction might affect those protections and to consider tighter oversight. Depending on how the EPA responds, that push could change what the Zoning Board is able to approve if regulators determine that additional work or new restrictions are necessary, per NorthPlymouthMA.com.
