Comprehensive Plan Update Committee forwards revised plan to selectmen, recommends November 2026 ballot placement

Chris Chase, chairman of the Comprehensive Plan Update Committee, said the committee opened and closed a public hearing and voted to forward the revised comprehensive plan to the Board of Selectmen, and recommended the selectmen place the plan on the November 2026 warrant.

The committee met March 20, 2025. It opened a 10-minute public comment period and set public comment limits to three minutes per person. The committee then opened a public hearing on proposed changes to the town's 2005 comprehensive plan; no members of the public spoke during the hearing, and the committee closed the hearing after discussion.

Town Attorney said the committee followed the ordinance's requirements for presenting the update. "Under the ordinance, it's very clear what the requirements are ... this committee has to produce both a red line copy," the attorney said, noting a redline and a clean copy of the revised plan are available on the town website.

After procedural discussion the committee approved a motion to forward the revised comprehensive plan to the Board of Selectmen for consideration in an upcoming warrant. The committee then approved a separate recommendation asking the selectmen to place the plan on the November 2026 warrant to maximize voter participation. Both motions were seconded and were put to committee votes and carried (votes recorded as in favor/opposed verbally; no roll-call vote names were provided in the transcript).

Members also voted that no further changes were required by this committee to the version presented at the hearing and agreed not to hold additional meetings specifically for further edits to this document. Committee members discussed timing trade-offs: some members urged earlier placement to implement protections sooner, while others favored later placement to increase turnout.

John McLeod, identifying himself as the Board of Selectmen liaison to the committee, noted prior development reviews near the Branch Brook aquifer (Chicks Crossing Village) that had required setbacks and restrictions on fertilizer and chemical use, and suggested that example as a reference for how aquifer protections are enforced through planning and permitting.

The committee asked staff to confirm whether the 10-year clock for the next required update begins at the town's adoption (duly enacted plan) or another milestone; the town attorney said legally the clock runs from enactment by the town. Members were reminded that the state found the draft to be consistent in July 2023, and that both marked-up (redline) and clean versions of the revised plan are posted on the town website.

Other procedural items approved included authorizing the committee chairman to approve minutes after circulation and adjourning the meeting.

Votes at a glance: - Approval of minutes (Jan. 28, 2025): motion made, seconded and approved (recorded as unanimous; no roll-call in transcript). - Motion to set public comment to three minutes per person: approved. - Motion to open public hearing on proposed changes to the 2005 comprehensive plan: approved; public hearing held with no public speakers and then closed by motion. - Motion that the committee will not make further changes to the document: approved. - Motion to forward the revised comprehensive plan to the Board of Selectmen for consideration in an upcoming warrant: approved. - Motion recommending the Board of Selectmen place the plan on the November 2026 warrant: approved. - Motion to authorize chairman to approve minutes after review: approved.

Why it matters: The comprehensive plan frames town land-use policy and guides planning-board and selectmen decisions on development, zoning and resource protection. The committee's vote to forward the plan and its recommendation on timing sets the next step for the plan's adoption process and for when its policies would take effect if approved by voters.

What happens next: The revised plan will be transmitted to the Board of Selectmen for its consideration; the selectmen decide if and when to place the item on a town warrant and whether to schedule a town-wide vote.