Framingham Planning Board endorses ANR for 144 Old Connecticut Path amid neighborhood objections

The Framingham Planning Board endorsed an Approval Not Required (ANR) plan for 144 Old Connecticut Path on Feb. 20, advancing a procedural certification that the proposed two‑lot configuration does not constitute a subdivision.

The endorsement — a procedural finding that the plan shows existing frontage and therefore is not a lawful subdivision — was moved and approved by the board. Chair (unnamed) and staff repeatedly told residents the endorsement does not assume conformance with zoning or permit future building permits without additional approvals.

Neighbors, including Julia Murphy of 136 Old Connecticut Path and Mary Redgate of 134 Old Connecticut Path, told the board they felt blindsided by the filing and argued the proposed lots would be nonconforming. "The proposed lots . . . do not have the right amount of 65 feet for the frontage," Murphy said, and said the proposed second lot "has no means of egress." Maureen Dunn and Emily Ford, other abutters, raised similar concerns about notification and possible flooding.

Zach Glass, the surveyor for the applicant (Existing Grade), told the board the plan splits the parcel so Lot 1 will retain the existing house and frontage while Lot 2 will include the existing carriage house and is not intended to be buildable without further zoning relief. Glass said the proposed lot split does not increase existing nonconformities and that notes on the plan clarify Lot 2 "is not to be considered a buildable lot without any sort of further zoning relief."

Board members and staff emphasized the narrow legal scope of ANR reviews. The chair explained that under state procedure an endorsed ANR is a certification of frontage and that if the board took no action the plan would be constructively endorsed after 21 days. The chair added that any future building, zoning relief or building‑permit decisions would be adjudicative and appealable processes where abutters would receive additional legal notice.

After discussion the board voted to endorse the ANR plan for 144 Old Connecticut Path with the explicit understanding that endorsement does not equate to zoning compliance or any approval of development. The board also recorded that staff had followed the statutory noticing requirements applicable to ANR filings.

Why it matters: An ANR endorsement allows the plan to be recorded and preserves the applicant's right to pursue subsequent permits; it does not authorize construction. Neighbors were assured they will receive legal notice and appeal rights if and when the applicant seeks zoning relief or a building permit.

What’s next: If the applicant pursues construction, zoning relief or building permits, those later hearings will include formal notice to abutters and will be subject to appeal under Massachusetts law.