In light of recent news regarding a federally designated Superfund site directly adjacent to a proposed Chapter 40B residential development in North Plymouth, a group of Plymouth residents has already submitted a formal, signed petition to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That letter, mailed on January 27, 2026, was signed by 158 residents.

This online petition is intended to gather additional public support and to further document community concern regarding the potential health, safety, and environmental implications of this project.

While the proposed six-story residential building is located in Plymouth, the adjacent Superfund site directly abuts the Plymouth–Duxbury–Kingston Estuary. For this reason, residents of neighboring communities, including Kingston and Duxbury, are encouraged to sign as well. Construction activities undertaken without appropriate review could have broader regional impacts on shared coastal and estuarine resources.

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LETTER SENT TO MASS D.E.P. AND E.P.A OFFICES IN BOSTON 1/27/26

To Whom It May Concern,

We are residents of Plymouth writing to respectfully request review and oversight by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, and coordination with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as appropriate, regarding a large-scale residential development proposed immediately adjacent to a federally designated Superfund site under active 5-year review.

A 163-unit Chapter 40B housing development proposed by Pulte Homes has received preliminary approval from MassHousing and is currently proceeding through the comprehensive permit process before the Plymouth Zoning Board of Appeals. One of the three proposed buildings, a six-story residential structure, is located directly adjacent to the Plymouth Harbor / Cannon Engineering Corp. (CEC) Superfund site.

• EPA 5-Year Review
• Recent media coverage

The Purchase and Sale documents submitted by the developer to MassHousing and to the Plymouth ZBA characterize the project area as free from nearby toxic contamination. Given the documented history and current regulatory status of the adjacent Superfund site, as well as known soil contamination on and near the development parcel itself, these representations raise significant concern and warrant further review.

The adjacent Superfund site was listed in 1983 due to releases from two large aboveground storage tanks used between 1976 and 1980 to store a heterogeneous mixture of industrial wastes, including solvents, plating wastes, pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, metals and other unidentified hazardous substances. EPA remedial actions focused primarily on removal of visibly contaminated surface soils, dismantling and off-site disposal of tanks and piping, limited subsurface sampling, and placement of clean fill to cap remaining contamination.

EPA records indicate that the selected remedy was designed to allow limited commercial or industrial use and specifically restricted exposure to residential and recreational usage. Hazardous substances remain at the site at levels that require ongoing institutional controls applied to the property deed. The remedy relies on containment and institutional controls rather than full removal. Furthermore, no monitoring wells from the superfund site are located on the south-eastern boundary of the “restricted area”, which borders the proposed Condominium parcel. So the question arises as to whether pollutants from the Superfund site have migrated to the proposed condo location. As such, activities that could disturb soils or alter exposure pathways — including excavation, grading, pile installation, utility work, and adjacent construction — warrant careful re-evaluation to ensure continued protectiveness of human health and the environment.

Of additional concern is a gravel bicycle and pedestrian path constructed in recent years to connect the former end of the North Plymouth Rail Trail (Seaside Trail), at Hedge Road, to Cordage Park. This path traverses the proposed 6-story building parcel (0 Sandri Drive) and runs immediately adjacent to, and potentially within, the Superfund site restricted area boundary. Portions of fencing that previously limited access along the site edge appear to have been removed, and informal footpaths have been cut from the trail, towards the ocean, into the Superfund parcel. People experiencing homelessness have been known to reside on the Superfund parcel.

Elevated arsenic levels have been identified on portions of the 40B parcel, raising questions about historical fill, site conditions, and whether additional characterization is warranted prior to residential construction. There has also been indications that substantial levels of arsenic has been identified at the other parcel (56-1) on 39 Hedge Road, which is not only the location of two other planned condominium buildings for this project, but also are adjacent to at least one of the other two 4-story buildings and identified wetlands.

There are additional concerns related to climate change, including rising sea levels and increased storm surge events, which could overtop the Superfund site, erode or compromise existing caps, and mobilize contaminated soils onto adjacent properties, creating additional public health risks and future remediation challenges. Half of the superfund site is in Flood Zone AE-11, subject to 100-year flood.

In light of these concerns, we respectfully request that DEP, in coordination with EPA as appropriate:

• Review the proposed development in relation to the adjacent Superfund site and its land-use limitations;
• Require comprehensive characterization of soils on the development parcel, including evaluation of potential contaminant migration from the adjacent site
  Evaluate risks associated with excavation, dust generation, and soil disturbance during construction;
• Assess whether existing institutional controls remain adequate and whether additional controls, remediation, or restrictions are necessary prior to residential occupancy.
• Test the ground throughout 39 Hedge Road to confirm whether or not arsenic or other hazardous substances are in the soils.

We believe that early review and oversight is critical to ensuring the protection of public health and the environment and to preventing avoidable risks before construction proceeds. 

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We appreciate your consideration and look forward to any guidance or direction you may provide. Responses can be sent by email at NorthPlymouthNeighbors@gmail.com.