Landers proposes Phase 2 of massive sand mine at Mountain Farm Rd. under the false pretense of cranberry agriculture to evade the law
Landers will mine in Sole Source Aquifer for “cranberry pond” to water bogs
Prior mining operation “cranberry agriculture” violated the bylaw according to town, and resulted in worker’s death. See the Sand Wars Report here
Truck traffic, noise, sand dust, threatens neighborhoods
December 16, 2024: CLWC lawyers tell ZBA Landers proposal “fails to meet several of the significant requirements for a special permit.” Read the letter below.
Dec 16 2024: Read the letter here from CLWC’s traffic experts at Fuss & O’Neill to the ZBA here on why the mine proposal raises serious traffic concerns here.
Take action:
Zoning Board of Appeals
Public Hearing:
Mon. March 3, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Town Hall
26 Court St.
Tell the ZBA to deny the special permit!
Key dates and documents below.
Email, call, write chair Buster Main and all ZBA members to demand they DENY the permit. If they grant the permit the project goes ahead unless there is a lawsuit to stop it. Take action now! Check the ZBA website here.
Your voice matters, and Cedarville is counting on you!
December 16, 2024: ZBA Public Hearing update: ZBA refused to take public comment despite people showing up in numbers to speak on the project. View the recording here. The ZBA is giving Landers a chance to revised the project based on the environmental peer review they received. The next hearing is March 3, 2024.
December 4, 2024: The Planning Board votes 4-0 to recommend denial of the permit. Watch the recording here
December 3, 2024: Cedarville Steering Committee votes NO on the project.
December 2024: Planning Department Staff Report to the Zoning Board of Appeals here.
November 14, 2024: Building Inspector comments to the Planning Board here.
November 18th, 2024: Department of Public Works comments here.
November 21, 2024: Memorandum from the Conservation Commission here.
November 20, 2024: Cedarville Village Steering Committee public hearing Watch the Meeting Recording Here
News report: It was standing room only at the Cedarville Village Steering Committee meeting. With every parking spot filled and a sea of residents eager to speak, this was community advocacy at its finest. The big question on everyone’s mind was: Why so much sand for cranberries? Residents demanded answers, voicing concerns about the impact of the truckloads of sand on Cedarville’s already overburdened roads. Safety and quality of life were key themes, and the crowd didn’t hold back. Tensions spiked when Rob D’Ambruoso, the attorney for P.A. Landers, grew visibly flustered under the weight of the questions and his reluctance to address his role in another controversial project. He is also the lawyer for EJ Pontiff’s proposal to strip 350,000 cubic yards from one of Cedarville’s last scenic hills.
Cedarville residents made it clear: they won’t stay quiet while their community is dug out from under them.
Background
In Summer, 2024, PA Landers has submitted an application for a special earth removal permit to expand his “farm” to make ‘cranberry beds and attendant facilities.’ The site, listed as 0 Landers Farm Way on the application, is an expansion of the 89 acre sand off Mountain Hill Road.
The Plymouth Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) has issued at least three permits under the pretense of cranberry agriculture. For over two decades, the ZBA continued to grant and extend these permits, allowing PA Landers to mine sand and gravel under the guise of agricultural zoning exemptions. A topographic view reveals that the so-called cranberry bogs and tailwater ponds are situated on the region’s highest hills, at elevations of at least 150 feet, making the true intent of these operations apparent. This site is located next to the 23 acre 11 Cantor Court site that PA Landers also sand mined from 2008-2017. Read more about the Cantor Court site here.
Trucks will utilize Hedges Pond Road for site access to Mountain Hill Road/Landers Farm. See Earth Removal Site Plans here. If the Town of Plymouth approves another earth removal permit for the proposed project at 71 Hedges Pond Road, excessive truck traffic in this area is expected on Hedges Pond Road.
The PA Landers project proposal outlines the creation of 9 acres of new-style bogs and a 6-acre tailwater recovery pond, to be completed in three phases over 6 to 8 years, with a total extraction of 2,007,086 cubic yards of sand and gravel from the 129-acre site. However, companies in the region have exploited agricultural exemptions, falsely claiming to establish cranberry bogs or tailwater ponds in order to evade legal scrutiny while primarily focusing on sand and gravel mining. This project is projected to generate at least 40 truckloads of material per day, raising concerns about silica dust pollution, aquifer contamination, decreased property values, and increased noise and vibration levels.
Notably, the permit application lacks any erosion control measures, as the applicant claims that ‘erosion control during construction is unlikely because the reservoir and each cranberry bed section will be excavated into the surrounding land. This bowl-like feature, along with the coarse, granular nature of the soil, will prevent erosion and off-site sedimentation. See Zoning Application and submittal materials here.
To prepare the site for excavation, the applicant states that there will be land clearing, grubbing, stumping, stripping, and stockpiling of topsoil, as well as grading for a proposed tailwater recovery pond and access road. Excavation of this magnitude will significantly alter the natural dynamics of the landscape, increasing the risk of erosion, downstream flooding, and sediment runoff.
Additionally, a portion of this site is designated as DEP Zone II of a Public Water Supply and abuts several homes.
Above: The PA Landers proposed site in relation to the Cantor Court site and another proposed site at 71 Hedges Pond Road.
Above: The site is outlined in red, with portions indicated as Rare Species Core Habitat in purple
Above: Topographic map highlighting several 98-foot hills and two 148-foot peaks on the site. These hills are among the last remaining in Plymouth, as sand and gravel extraction, along with other development activities, have significantly altered the natural landscape.
Above: 2024 Current Google Map overlaid with Herring Pond Wampanoag Historical Reservation map. Pink shading indicated the Reservation, and the red pin indicates where the proposed project is. The proposed project at 0 Landers Farm Way falls within the area known as the Great Lot.
This 7 million cubic yard mine will be one of the biggest in the region — close to AD Makepeace’s active mines in Carver, and almost as large as Makepeace’s 7.2-acre mine underway in Plymouth. Read more about Makepeace’s huge Plymouth mine here. The Town allowed this mine to operate without a permit until CLWC exposed the expired permit and 72 missing inspection reports.
This has to stop greed with no regard to this town and with no interest .. nothing left of this peacefully town ..this is the effective of money and power..not about the quality of living and (deals) not in your interests AMERICA,S HOME Town really..it seems to me its never good enough , question can we 🙏 do something. I love my beautiful town and so do you
Thank you so much Art. Please stay in touch and reach out to us anytime. We will continue to post updates about these developments and ways to get involved to protect what we hold dear. Your voice counts!
Who in the towns benefit from this that they haven’t put a stop to it? How can they keep doing this year over year, acre after acre? Who is protecting the residents of Plymouth and Carver? Isn’t that the responsibility our Town government? Protect our town from harm and destruction? Stop the madness now!
Thank you so much Lisa, we agree, this has to end! This is why it’s so important to be involved at Town Hall. Many times our officials only listen to the developers!