Sturbridge board delays vote on 6,000-square-foot Cedar Pond home

Conservation · Meeting of July 10, 2026

Sturbridge conservation board delays vote on 6,000-square-foot Cedar Pond home. The Conservation Commission voted unanimously to continue a hearing on an 11.64-acre Westwood Drive lot with 1,673 feet of shoreline until August 6, after six neighbors objected to a roughly 900-foot driveway and clearing near a certified vernal pool. Resident Joanna Shapiro, who described herself as a wetland-regulation professional, said "these vernal pool species spend more of their time in the upland surrounding the vernal pool than in the vernal pool itself." The board separately wrestled with a garage project at 51 Bennett's Road complicated by a concrete patio and pergola built without permits, with member Ed Goodwin saying "I want to see the pergola removed and back to normal plantings," while colleagues favored trimming 325 square feet from the garage instead; that hearing also continues to August 6.

The commission approved a new home at 79 Paradise Lane, closed a septic-repair hearing at 64 Shepherd Road with an added silt-fence condition, and accepted the town's final Leadmine Forest Stewardship Plan.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 4,105 words

Source: the Conservation meeting of July 10, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.