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Westborough Select Board adopts five‑year Housing Production Plan, seeks state acceptance
Summary
The Select Board voted to adopt Westborough's Housing Production Plan and authorized the chair to submit documentation for state review; the plan, if accepted by the state, would be effective for five years and could help the town access additional grant points and strengthen local decisions on comprehensive permits.
The Westborough Select Board voted to adopt the town's Housing Production Plan (HPP) and authorized the board chair to execute and submit the documents required for state acceptance.
Kristen Belanger, the town's assistant town planner, presented the next steps for state review, saying the town will submit a package to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) that includes a draft HPP and a cover letter signed by both the Select Board and Planning Board chairs. "There's a 30‑day completeness review and then a 90‑day final review," Belanger said, explaining the two‑stage process the town expects.
Board members described the HPP as data‑driven and practical. One member said the plan is already guiding the Affordable Housing Trust. The plan's stated benefits, Belanger said, include a five‑year effective period if approved, eligibility for additional grant points and funding opportunities, and the potential that zoning board of appeals denials of some comprehensive permits would be upheld by the Housing Appeals Committee if a community is SHI‑certified compliant.
A motion to adopt the plan and authorize the chair to execute and submit any additional materials for state approval was made, seconded and approved by the board.
The Select Board and Planning Board will both need to approve the submission package; the Planning Board was scheduled to consider the HPP on Nov. 12. If EOHLC disapproves the submission, town staff said the plan can be revised and resubmitted.
The board did not take further action beyond adoption and authorization; next steps are preparing the submission package and responding to any state completeness feedback.
