Planning Board continues zoning bylaw hearing; debates data-center safeguards, fence rules and an assembly-hall split for White Cliffs

The Town of Northborough Planning Board continued its public hearing on amendments to town code chapters 2 and 7 and the zoning map on March 3, hearing staff explanations and debating several substantive changes that will be presented to town meeting.

Lori, planning staff, described multiple edits she made to the draft bylaw, including reorganizing sections and adding an "opaque" fence definition (an opaque fence provides less than 75% visibility) that would restrict opaque front-yard fences to 3.5 feet while allowing taller non-opaque fences such as chain link. Board members asked for clearer examples, measurement language and whether the building inspector should have final discretion; Lori said she would add clarifying examples and noted the building inspector’s judgment remains part of enforcement.

Board members raised repeated concerns about potential data centers: possible high water demand, wastewater contaminants from cooling systems and neighborhood noise. The Chair summarized media reports and asked whether the board should require applicants to include water-use and wastewater-treatment documentation as part of special-permit or submittal requirements. Lori suggested creating a separate submittal-requirements section (rather than embedding every possible requirement in special-permit criteria) and agreed to circulate the articles and links to the board for review ahead of the next meeting.

The board also discussed the proposed assembly-hall language and how it overlaps with existing cultural-use and nonprofit-club definitions. Members worried that bundling assembly-hall changes into the White Cliffs hospitality article could confuse town-meeting voters and risk defeating the White Cliffs package if unrelated elements attract opposition. The board reached consensus to pull assembly hall into a separate article so the White Cliffs hospitality overlay vote remains focused.

Other edits included pointing the bylaw to the building-permit fee schedule (so fee changes do not require a bylaw amendment) and clarifying online-submittal expectations for applicants. The board also discussed screening language for shipping or storage containers and whether to add explicit reference to 'storage containers' in section 7.0902.

In other business the board approved the minutes of Feb. 17 and unanimously approved a regional walk-audit support letter (Westborough will submit a grant application to AARP on behalf of participating towns). The board scheduled the next planning-board meeting for March 17, when it will consider applications for 10 and 20 Barefoot Road and a public hearing on an open-space zoning change. The meeting adjourned following a final roll-call vote.

What’s next: staff will circulate revised articles and supporting links; the board will continue the public hearing and vote on specific bylaw changes at a future meeting ahead of town meeting.