NAHANT — The Nahant Conservation Commission will hold a public meeting Wednesday to discuss Northeastern University’s Notices of Intent for their proposed Coastal Sustainability Institute (CSI) and Seawater Intake projects.
The meeting, to be held via Zoom, will be a continuation of two previous discussions in December 2020 and February 2021.
“The Conservation Commission’s responsibility is to make sure what’s being proposed is not in violation of the state’s wetlands protection law or the town’s own wetlands protections bylaws,” said Board of Selectmen Chair Mark Cullinan. “It’s an independent and unbiased review of Northeastern’s application.”
In 2018, Northeastern — which has operated its Marine Science Center on East Point since it was granted the land by the state in 1966 — announced plans to build a 55,000-square-foot Coastal Sustainability Institute on top of the historic Murphy Battery, which was originally built as part of Boston’s Coastal Defense System and is now used by the school for classes and research.
The university has since announced its future plans will include drilling wells in the adjoining valley, constructing additional parking lots, building a pump house, and expanding the site’s existing seawater intake system.
“I hope residents participate. I really don’t have a voice here,” Cullinan said. “The Conservation Commission is meant to be unbiased and has a set of rules and regulations that have been adopted by the state and a set of rules and regulations adopted by Nahant, and they need to make sure (those rules) are not being violated.”
A press release from the Nahant Conservation Commission stated that materials from the university’s December presentation are available online and can be accessed at nahant.org.
Presentations and documents for the Notices of Intent from Northeastern University presented to the Nahant Conservation Commission include Coastal Sustainability Notice of Intent plans, Coastal Sustainability Institute Notice of Intent Stormwater Report, and its Seawater Intake System Notice of Intent.
Public comments on Northeastern University’s Notice of Intents and their proposed projects can be sent directly to the Nahant Conservation Commission at [email protected].
A meeting agenda is available on nahant.org/calendar.
Elyse Carmosino can be reached at [email protected].
