Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Warrant Articles topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning Board backs three warrant articles for March 21 and hears student downtown survey
Summary
The board voted to recommend multiple zoning warrant articles for the March 21 Town Meeting — including a downtown zoning-map amendment (Article 31), a Research Drive rezoning (Article 33) and an amendment on off‑premises digital billboards (Article 32). The meeting also featured a presentation by Westborough High School students summarizing a 160‑response downtown survey.
The Westborough Planning Board on March 3 recommended several warrant articles for the annual Town Meeting and heard a youth presentation on downtown preferences.
Article recommendations and committee input The board moved to recommend passage of Article 31, an amendment to the zoning bylaw to revise the downtown business district map, citing unanimous support from the Advisory Finance Committee and the Economic Development Committee. The motion to recommend passage referenced a public‑hearing process under MGL chapter 4A section 5 and was passed by the board.
The board also voted to recommend Article 33, which proposes rezoning parcels on Research Drive from Industrial categories and overlay districts to a Highway Business (BA) district; the Advisory Finance Committee had earlier voted 6–1 to recommend passage. Applicant representatives were present to answer questions.
On Article 32 (amendments to section 8.2F governing off‑premises digital billboards), Jenny Jingris reported that the advisory finance committee recommended passage 5–2 and the Economic Development Committee recommended the article unanimously. The board closed the public hearing and recorded a vote in favor of recommending passage, with a board member recorded as opposed; the tally was reported in the hearing as 4–1.
Student presentation: Westboro Forward Earlier in the meeting, a group of Westborough High School students representing the club Westboro Forward presented results of a five‑page survey sent to fellow students. The students (Samyuka Tarali; Shria Prabakar; Danusha Ramadas; Shria Anisaraju; Dia Koti; and Sahasro) said they received more than 160 responses and reported a mean downtown rating of 3.78 out of 5. Major findings the students highlighted included a desire for more entertainment and recreational opportunities (75.3%), more community gathering spaces (64.8%) and more events (59%). Students reported they most frequently go downtown to eat and patronize public spaces such as the library.
Board members praised the students’ work and encouraged distributing the report to public places (library, senior center) and suggested coordinating a presentation at Town Meeting on March 21 to inform the wider community.
What happens next The Planning Board’s letters of recommendation will be reflected in the board’s Town Meeting report and the articles will proceed to Town Meeting on March 21, 2026 for a final vote by town meeting members.
