[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6517233,"mediaKeyId","5419553-c904d7c287d22f45264a177890783e44","parentId",5419553,"title","Planning board to clarify committee delegates; board members debate MRPC payment and state battery storage guidance; meeting adjourns by roll call","audioSeconds",3720,"startMs",252000,"endMs",3972000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5419553-c904d7c287d22f45264a177890783e44&start=252&end=3972","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5419553-c904d7c287d22f45264a177890783e44/thumbnail_252000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6517233/Massachusetts/Planning-board-to-clarify-committee-delegates-board-members-debate-MRPC-payment-and-state-battery-storage-guidance-meeting-adjourns-by-roll-call","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6517233-475da09337e9366e27dbedb05e640cbb/orig.mp4?Expires=1771115119&Signature=CbU6n~69AN3WDoC9BLBrRD~GDxMyq01Y0dk1cjWSBNnx0L0R8SPH3Y98VaFUCVs9rEgiGX93N8kAja25JebJeg0HiXFhqeOpNJtlZv7kXb8X4qvHkbrXecxn6SIpbwzba8MTQnXL2YY2pH7d-IznORLyyEfJ9g3NZ3AQAE7OTLKUWhya6ytGoSZhW0gnR4WvZ2kjyvovfpg1ogQJw1iA0HDLndbuCie-tA07l6bmzKONR7TvnxYSQcrX6XrCSjQGWuJOVjgABEUll~7uAMDKIy98RiGd1aAmZf-I6sNYBzHnpP80CpNrE1b6voJaQguDh-jkugrq0TL5EiOHpaAZvw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Hubbardston","date","2025-07-18T01:01:33.07Z","article","The Hubbardston Planning Board on July 17 discussed assigning planning board members to town and regional committees, considered payment to the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) and debated whether to draft a letter in response to proposed state legislation about battery energy storage systems.

Committee representation: Chair (Planning Board) and members reviewed roles that planning board members traditionally fill, including the MRPC seat, the MJTC transportation alternate, a Capital Improvement Planning Committee (CIPC) seat, the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) representative and an Economic Development Committee (EDC) representative. Alec (Town Planner) and other members said those seats can be significant because representatives often learn about grant opportunities and advise on zoning and capital planning.

Board members noted some confusion about automatic re‑assignments. One member said he received notice from the town clerk that he had been assigned to the CIPC but advised that appointments are not final until the planning board formally chooses and presents nominees to the select board; members asked staff to follow up with the town administrator and Patricia (planning board member referenced as current alternate delegate).

MRPC payment and state battery storage bills: The board briefly discussed a circulated draft advocacy letter and pending legislative proposals related to battery energy storage. One member said he reviewed draft house bills and did not support broad one‑size‑fits‑all language; another member suggested drafting a short addendum urging the state to consider alternative battery technologies with lower toxicity and different risk profiles. Francois (Planning Board member) offered to review an existing letter from a nearby town and draft suggested language for the board to consider. The board agreed to consider placing a short item on a future agenda if members bring a draft.

Administrative payments and minutes: The board confirmed its minutes from the July 2 meeting were accepted earlier in the session (no roll‑call details recorded in the transcript). Members discussed that the MRPC membership payment is budgeted as a line item in the annual town budget; the chair asked for approval to pay it on the next accounts payable run.

Adjournment: A motion to adjourn was made, seconded and approved by roll call at 7:45 p.m.; Mr. Steiger and Mr. Carpenter each voted “aye,” and the chair recorded an “aye.”

Provenance: Discussion about committee representation and MRPC payment appears under agenda item 5(a) (planning board members serving on other roles) and administrative matters; the battery storage/advocacy letter discussion occurs under administrative matters; the adjournment roll call is at the end of the transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Planning Board 7.17.25","oneSentenceSummary","Board discussed assigning representatives to town and regional committees (MRPC, MJTC, CIPC/CPC, EDC), affirmed need to confirm appointments with the select board, debated whether to draft a comment on state battery energy storage bills, and adjourned after a roll‑call vote.","taxTitle","Town of Hubbardston, Worcester County, Massachusetts","taxId",61645,"location","Massachusetts","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6517238,"Owner seeks zoning change at 155 Williamsville Road for agricultural accessory use; planner to prepare case study",651,3129000,3780000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5419553-c904d7c287d22f45264a177890783e44&start=3129&end=3780","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5419553-c904d7c287d22f45264a177890783e44/thumbnail_3129000.jpg","/articles/6517238/Massachusetts/Owner-seeks-zoning-change-at-155-Williamsville-Road-for-agricultural-accessory-use-planner-to-prepare-case-study","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6517238-762d8c012c1a7d473dfd3a12ea47182d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771115119&Signature=luFF8L7bCoqd-tYbgreK9XKxeTDd-iIWC3rUUhRswFKXCr9yb3iqOgVKWxb6ub-uoHtbCuuJ3sHjYc1RW~uUBAw5hGATJe-hxHKar08kSgrvCiZm9gLPBTtLDjfbd3RwxEympTQGzY46uA~5NJUd7y-QQSZmKJak70-T47gRHKmqhjscNH1BQzIK3Qf5llk4fw9nkEsekcJEA84cyEFB-5d21nqvpb64Kw6JK9hk4dzk1HpDlv-79ZcOsY1z3SXSJhr7CTL335SiakrcdD-rhxo~lJIGES5nmdDktbdRhEwCkblX7aCcPEHXRFWEDP01F76DKvtdqNTzIj8WUO~tlg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the July 17 meeting the Planning Board discussed a rezoning request for 155 Williamsville Road intended to permit an agricultural‑adjacent accessory use—described in meeting materials as a cleaning service for equestrian gear—and to consider amending the town’s agricultural accessory bylaw.

Alec (Town Planner) summarized materials in the packet and said Rebecca (property owner/applicant) presented to the board at the prior meeting. Alec told members he has a meeting scheduled with Rebecca and plans to collect water and septic records, daily traffic estimates and comparable data from similar businesses to build a case study for the board.

Alec said the matter ties into an earlier effort to revise the town bylaws to clarify allowed agricultural accessory uses. “The proposal originally considered creating an ecotourism/agricultural accessory bylaw revision that redefines agricultural accessory uses,” Alec said, adding that defining “agricultural” can be “pretty murky” in practice because tests can be based on acreage, income or primary use.

The board discussed whether to pursue a zoning map change, an overlay or an amendment to the bylaws. Alec said the previous attempt to change the bylaw produced long public hearings and multiple compromises that ultimately led to the proposal failing to pass in earlier rounds; he recommended bringing a focused proposal and public hearings to the board and warned against over‑compromising the language.

Direction from the meeting: staff will compile the case study data (water/septic, traffic, competitor examples and prior bylaw drafts) and return with a draft approach for whether to pursue a targeted bylaw amendment, a zoning overlay or a map change. No formal vote to rezone or amend bylaws was taken at the July 17 meeting.

Background: the board previously considered similar bylaw language and a multi‑night public hearing process that the planner described as protracted; towns that have adopted agricultural accessory approaches (Alec cited Rutland and other towns) provide models the board may review.

Provenance: The rezoning/bylaw discussion and Alec’s planned follow‑up began during the planners’ report and the agenda item for 155 Williamsville Road and continued through the board’s questions about bylaw strategy.","Property owner asked the planning board to consider rezoning or bylaw changes so an equestrian‑related cleaning business could operate more clearly as an accessory agricultural use; staff will gather case data and comparable examples for future hearings.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6517243,"Hubbardston planners revise public survey for 500-acre “sand pits” redevelopment after advisory feedback",718,981000,1699000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5419553-c904d7c287d22f45264a177890783e44&start=981&end=1699","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5419553-c904d7c287d22f45264a177890783e44/thumbnail_981000.jpg","/articles/6517243/Massachusetts/Hubbardston-planners-revise-public-survey-for-500-acre-sand-pits-redevelopment-after-advisory-feedback","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6517243-d321504360039d2c57321a89eb30b77f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771115119&Signature=KW2JT7f8H1O0VOYB6GXZNzHHofKRYEVanuAR3XI9kZ-SIXC0mghJAUY8VlMzjq-XFNl-TCwk5hAVpyg-vuO3QyLa~0Ll7nZQWoZ6omJcgj6JNOvGNQ2z4a3aNZZ6vrxLTQNHWIWQSYpR~uvIbn6YEdjeoz7yY5htxMGqmxpmuQoUocwBOwtfiqFqNKz~x5g5LrEbfQRc8TLO8IdMTMweTvRuD-HTHW6MrbGqkjPf8iu2u0pIuWI2CyW2Pqdn-UIwcAEFZSkxI~mAX3NMgEEghlUfD0qjgEWuE1CJ5LlV0SMJJcVA8LTrCxi3EjoDzbmS4Zex2GfeeR0cWuuLB5GQeQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Town of Hubbardston Planning Board on July 17 reviewed a draft public survey produced as part of a 2024 community planning grant intended to study an overlay zoning district for the large former sand‑pit tract in north‑central Hubbardston.

Alec (Town Planner) told the board the town received a community planning grant in 2024 that allows hiring a consultant with $250,000 plus any additional town funds to evaluate the sand pits and public engagement options. Alec said the consultant will help consider alternatives including an overlay district “to give a second set of zoning options available to the property owner.”

Board members said the draft survey is too long and risks low response rates. Chair (Planning Board) opened discussion by noting the survey has seven main questions; members recommended simplifying and using visual preference questions so respondents can choose pictures rather than technical descriptions.

“A lot of these things might be more appropriate once it’s decided what our potential interest is in different types of development,” Alec said, recommending a staged approach and noting the grant covers consultant work and public engagement.

Why it matters: the property is one of the largest available contiguous tracts in the region and could shape Hubbardston’s development pattern for decades. Alec said public and private owners together comprise roughly five hundred acres; public owners (the City of Gardner, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the town) hold about 108.9 acres or roughly 18 percent of the land represented on the consultant’s map.

Board members flagged several specifics they want changed before wide distribution: change “select up to three” priority questions to a forced‑ranking or follow‑up that forces tradeoffs (for example, taxes/economic development versus protection of rural character); replace or clarify ambiguous terms such as “mixed use” and “light industrial” with concrete examples; and add visual preference images showing alternatives (for example, small storefronts with apartments above versus large multifamily blocks).

Several members stressed the need to surface actionable tradeoffs. “If you set these questions up in a way where people can select three priorities that are competing priorities, what are we really going to learn from that?” a planning board member said.

The board also discussed regional and statutory context. Alec noted the site has good highway frontage on Route 68 (Gardner Road) and access to Metro Mill Road, and said the state has identified the tract as a significant available parcel. He cautioned the town that portions of the site could become subject to MBTA‑related zoning changes and that developers have in the past explored state programs such as Chapter 40B housing. The planner said a developer who has consolidated many parcels has asked the town to support a community‑driven reuse plan rather than pursue a unilateral 40B approach.

What the board directed: members agreed to return a focused list of suggested survey edits to the advisory group and consultant and to revisit the survey at the next advisory meeting (scheduled for July 22). Alec said he would also present some of the board’s suggested rewrites and visuals to the advisory group.

The board did not take a formal vote on zoning or adopt survey text; members described this session as advisory feedback to refine the consultant’s instrument.

Provenance: The board’s discussion of the grant, the scope/acreage of the land, survey questions and recommended changes began during the planners’ report and the agenda item for the zoning roadway survey (transcript discussion beginning at the start of the grant description and continuing through the question‑by‑question review).","Planning board reviewed a draft public survey tied to a $250,000 community planning grant to study possible overlay zoning for the large former sand‑pit tract; board members urged simpler questions, visual examples and forced‑ranking to get actionable results.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Planning board to clarify committee delegates; board members debate MRPC payment and state battery storage guidance; meeting adjourns by roll call

Owner seeks zoning change at 155 Williamsville Road for agricultural accessory use; planner to prepare case study

Hubbardston planners revise public survey for 500-acre “sand pits” redevelopment after advisory feedback