Peabody, owner wage battle over vacant lot

SALEM – The owner of a Peabody lot where school buses are housed is appealing an enforcement order sent by the city?s Conservation Commission earlier this month telling them to remove the buses and stop any work on the lot, according to a complaint filed in Salem Superior Court.The property in question is a 6-acre site of vacant lot on Pulaski Street, which was purchased by 60 Pulaski Street, LLC, in 2005 for $20,000 and made into a gravel parking lot last summer. The owner is working with Hayes Engineering to build a parking area on the spot, according to the complaint filed by Peabody attorney John R. Keilty.The enforcement order cited the Wetlands Protection Act and the City of Peabody Wetlands Protection Ordinance and ordered 60 Pulaski Street, LLC to “remove certain jersey barriers and cease and desist all activities within the Riverfront Area until further notice,” according to the complaint. It was sent to the property owner?s on Feb. 13.But the owners of the property insist that “adequate provision is made for the protection of the resource area under the ordinance and under the Department of Environmental Regulations,” the complaint stated.Keilty said the owner is seeking further consideration from the Conservation Commission on the matter and for the court to nullify the enforcement order, according to the complaint, dated Feb. 23.Once the site of a former chemical storage and distribution facility, 60 Pulaski St. burned down a number of years ago and over the years the Environmental Protection Agency has spent approximately $450,000 to clean up the land, according to earlier Item reports.According to an earlier report, 60 Pulaski Street, LLC contracted with Salter Transportation, LLC after building the gravel parking lot, and allowed them to store school buses on the property. Salter Transportation contracted with the city to transport students to and from the Peabody public school.Taylor Provost can be reached at [email protected].