The Town of Charlton Planning Board on Jan. 7 continued its public hearing on an application from Chris Hansen for a site plan to use and improve a private way (Beach Middle Road) that would provide access to a building lot at 0 Beachville Road.

The hearing opened with the applicant's overview of revisions and a peer review by Graves Engineering; the applicant said Graves's comments had been addressed. Board members flagged missing written comments from the fire department and, more critically, said the Board of Health has no record of a Title 5 septic plan for the property. "There's no records on file," a board member said during the discussion.

During public comment, Karen Fear and her septic contractor provided a field map and a camera inspection that the resident said shows the septic tank and leach field relative to the proposed private way. Fear asked the board to allow her attorney to participate at a continued session so the letter and evidence could be reviewed formally. The resident also reiterated a claim, attributed to her lawyer, that the adjacent unimproved way is effectively exclusive to her property and therefore cannot be used or improved by the applicant without proof to the contrary.

Planning staff and the applicant countered that deed research and prior review by town counsel (referred to in the meeting as Silverstein) indicate deeded interests or grandfathered rights that permit the proposed improvement. The board asked the applicant to provide copies of both deeds and the peer-review notes so the planning board can verify whether the private way is "bounded and described" in the deeds and whether the applicant has legal interest to improve it.

The board made no formal finding on the merits. Instead, after receiving public requests to have counsel present and to submit documentary proof, the board voted to continue the hearing to its Jan. 21, 2026 meeting so staff can obtain deed copies, the peer-review findings and any relevant written correspondence from town counsel and the fire department.

What happens next: The Planning Board asked the applicant to submit deeds and written documentation from the town attorney and the fire department before the Jan. 21 meeting. The Board said it will also seek comment from the Board of Health to confirm whether an active Title 5 septic system and leach field exist where residents say they do.