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Blackstone Zoning Board continues Elm Street hearing, discusses fee and SHI updates
Summary
The Town of Blackstone Zoning Board of Appeals continued the public hearing for 7981 Elm Street to next month because it lacked a quorum, discussed proposed changes to application forms and fees, asked town hall to handle a DHCD 40B/SHI update, and approved payment of a $219.59 invoice.
The Town of Blackstone Zoning Board of Appeals continued a public hearing for an application at 7981 Elm Street to the board's next monthly meeting because a quorum was not present.
The board also discussed proposed edits to its application packet, including changing phrasing from "certified mail" to "first-class mail," adding a recommended $10 fee for the board of assessors to produce an abutters list, and a recommendation from town hall that applicants pay advertising costs. Laurie (Zoning Board of Appeals member) described the packet changes and said the revisions aim to clarify when applicants are seeking a variance or other relief. A board member noted the town-hall recommendation to "keep the fees for the variance and special permit at least $300 and then charge the applicants an advertising fee," pointing out that the proposed amounts are similar to neighboring towns.
Board members reviewed comparable fee schedules from nearby communities cited in the packet (Hopedale, Plainville, Uxbridge, Mendon, Framingham and Randolph). The board identified that the current Town of Blackstone schedule appears to be a $300 flat fee across permit types and discussed whether to add a stepped schedule or a specific comprehensive-permit ("40B") fee.
Separately, the board received correspondence from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities about proposed changes to how units are counted on the Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) under 40B rules (transcript referenced "regulation 7 60"). The DHCD letter asks towns to review and return SHI listings with corrections by March 1. The board voted to ask town hall staff (via Sarah at Town Hall) to circulate the DHCD materials to all board members and to respond on the board's behalf.
On administrative business the board approved payment of an invoice for $219.59 related to the continued hearing. Members also noted a backlog on meeting minutes (the board reported being several meetings behind, with November and December canceled and other minutes pending) and reminded members to complete conflict-of-interest and ethics training; the meeting referenced the state ethics training portal massethicstraining.skillburst.com and advised members to check expiration dates and contact town hall for assistance if needed.
The board scheduled the continued public hearing on 7981 Elm Street for the next monthly meeting and adjourned.
