Southborough committee debates Route 9 DIF map, MassWorks timing and regional sewer talks with Westborough

Members of a Town of Southborough committee met Dec. 18, 2025, to review a draft development impact fee (DIF) boundary centered on Route 9, talk through MassWorks grant timing and consider a possible regional sewer option with neighboring Westborough. The group did not take any formal funding votes but agreed to pursue follow-up steps including site testing and outreach to Westborough officials.

The committee’s presentation included a GIS slice of parcels along Route 9 and an initially over‑inclusive DIF boundary that the presenter said covered about six square miles — larger than the roughly four square miles allowed under the town’s 25% area limit for a DIF. “I created a boundary there that was over inclusive in terms of the DIF zone,” the presenter said while sharing the map, and asked members for feedback on narrowing the area.

On funding and timing, members discussed whether to ask Town Meeting for design money now so the town could supply a 25% match if MassWorks requires a 75% design plan before awarding funds. One committee member noted the MassWorks solicitation timing: “this is a slow time for them into February,” and the group reviewed the sequence needed to prepare an application. Speakers also cited a previously discussed ‘‘800’’ figure for design work and confirmed the town’s 25% share would apply; the exact unit for the “800” figure was not specified in the transcript.

Members agreed the immediate critical path is site evaluation: soils/perk testing and identifying a viable plant/discharge site. “If the soils are good, then that seems to me to be in the critical path,” one member said, describing the tests that would determine whether to proceed. The committee discussed whether the town or the committee should fund early testing if MassWorks is unlikely to pay for site evaluation or construction.

A regional approach with Westborough drew sustained interest. A committee member reported contact from Westborough’s economic‑development coordinator and noted a MetroWest Partnership conversation on regionalization; the group agreed to follow up. “If we can do it, it’s most economical,” a member said of a regional plant shared between towns, but others warned Westborough has capacity and control questions that could complicate a joint application.

The meeting also covered ancillary items: persistent OneDrive access problems were tabled for IT troubleshooting, and members discussed data tools — including using AI tools to analyze assessor and soils data — to identify parcels that produce high tax revenue but limited wastewater demand. The committee referenced examples where inflow‑and‑infiltration remediation yielded additional sewer capacity, but concluded those options were limited near term.

There were two brief formal motions: the committee approved the minutes as written at the start of the meeting and later moved to adjourn. The committee scheduled follow‑up steps: narrow the DIF boundary toward the legally allowable area, pursue soil/perk testing on candidate sites, contact Westborough’s EDC coordinator and MassWorks staff for clarification on what the agency will fund, and refine a spreadsheet of assessor parcels to identify priority properties for inclusion.

Next steps: committee members will contact landowners and Westborough, produce a more conservative DIF boundary for review and confirm whether Town Meeting should be asked for design funding ahead of MassWorks’ next cycle.