Southborough approves zoning overlay to allow large-format retail at Industrial Park

Southborough voters on the floor approved an amendment to the town’s Industrial Park zoning to permit a "major retail" use at a specifically identified site (21 Cosland), enabling a pathway for a large‑format single‑tenant retailer. The article was presented as enabling legislation only; project approvals, site plans, special permits, building permits and any infrastructure work would follow the ordinary planning and permitting process.

The planning board chair, Mimi Littrell, told town meeting the planning board voted 5–0 to recommend the zoning change. Article sponsor Mister Hamilton said the change is intended to attract commercial development that could reverse a residential tax‑shift that has grown since 2021, and described the proposed use as a 125,000‑square‑foot minimum, single‑tenant retail use on at least a 20‑acre lot. "When opportunity knocks, you gotta open…