Planning board special‑permit appeal turns on standing and disputed traffic expert reports

The Massachusetts Appeals Court heard arguments Jan. 6 in Klein et al. v. Universal Property Management over a Planning Board decision to grant special permits for a Route 9 commercial development. Appellants — nearby homeowners — argued the superior court erred by granting summary judgment to the board and developer, overlooking disputed expert traffic testimony and misapplying standing rules under G.L. c. 40A.

Why it matters: The dispute pits neighborhood safety concerns — whether drive‑through and car‑wash traffic will force customers to make unsafe right turns onto a narrow residential street — against a planning board’s authority to permit commercial uses in an existing business district. The court’s handling of standing and the standard for…