Conservation Commission Approves Marian Fathers Stormwater Permit, Dock Replacement on Bowl

STOCKBRIDGE -- May 12, 2026, Stockbridge Conservation Commission unanimously approved a stormwater permit for a redesigned 30-space parking lot at the Marian Fathers monastery property and authorized replacement of an ice-damaged dock on Stockbridge Bowl at its May 12 meeting. The parking lot permit, continued from prior sessions after the Historic Commission placed a demolition delay on an on-site building, was redesigned to shift all stormwater structures westward while keeping them at their original dimensions, sized for a previously proposed 72-space lot. Commission consultant David required construction to proceed from the downhill level spreader upward before the parking lot is built, so detention features are in place during any storm event. The board also approved repair and replacement of a roughly 360-square-foot dock at 9 Mackinac Terrace on Stockbridge Bowl, destroyed when unusually solid ice heaved during the spring melt, pending confirmation that the property's 2008 simplified Chapter 91 waterways license remains valid with DEP. In a separate informal presentation, a resident of 6 Bernice Road described clearing more than 10,000 square feet of non-native red pine over two years; David confirmed the property is outside the floodplain but scheduled a June 8 site visit to assess potential wetland conditions before the commission acts on a stormwater permit application already advertised for the next meeting.