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Planning Board presses Fagel Hall applicant for missing as-built and peer-review steps after TCO conditions missed
Summary
Planning Board warned the Southborough Historical Society (Fagel Hall) that conditions attached to a temporary certificate of occupancy for 4042 Central Street were not met, and asked the applicant to submit a complete as-built, peer-review deposit and a site-plan modification; the applicant said weather and engineering delays impeded timely submittal and committed to returning with updates on April 27.
The Planning Board reviewed compliance with conditions attached to a temporary certificate of occupancy (TCO) for Fagel Hall at 4042 Central Street and found required submittals were not received by agreed deadlines, including a complete application and plans for a site-plan modification, payment of the town engineering peer-review fee, and the vice-chair’s review of any lot lighting prior to installation.
The chair opened the item by noting the project was approved in 2023 and that the board had required the Southborough Historical Society to submit a complete application and lighting plans by April 8, 2026 as a condition of TCO issuance. "So they're out of compliance with the conditions in which the temporary certificate of occupancy was issued," the chair said, urging next steps.
John, representing the applicant, explained the engineer was delayed by winter weather and had provided an as‑built PDF but not the complete application package the planner requires for peer review. He asked the board for additional time, said the society intended to submit a site-plan modification and the peer-review fee, and requested the board allow a short extension to finalize the engineer’s materials.
Town planner Karina clarified the municipal submission expectations: an as‑built must be accompanied by a certifying engineer’s letter describing what was built and listing items that differ from the approved plans; the planner must also receive the peer-review retainer before sending materials to the town’s consultant. Karina noted prior correspondence that a missing peer-review deposit and incomplete engineer letter prevented the review from starting.
Board members pressed for specifics. They asked the applicant to have the project engineer contact the planner immediately to agree a checklist of missing items and to deliver the hard-copy materials and retainer so the peer review could begin. The board reminded the applicant that a TCO condition required accessible parking signage and that failure to provide 30‑day updates could result in revocation and that the TCO was set to expire on May 1, 2026 under the previously stated conditions.
The applicant agreed to have the engineer contact the planner the next day, to provide hard copies if needed, and to aim to have as complete an as‑built as possible to minimize peer-review costs. The board tentatively scheduled a two‑week return (April 27) to check progress and asked for night-time lighting to be inspected in place by the vice chair prior to wider use. Karina said the peer-review retainer was roughly $4,000 (minus any prior credit) and that an engineer’s certifying letter must accompany the as‑built submission.
No formal enforcement action was taken at the meeting; instead the board gave the applicant a short, structured path to remedy deficiencies: a direct engineer-to-planner contact, completion of the certifying as‑built documentation, payment of the peer-review retainer, and a status update at the next meeting.
