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Applicant withdraws Winchester boundary-line adjustment; board to await town vote
Summary
An applicant representing Waldschmidt, Inc. withdrew a boundary-line adjustment application for property on Old Spofford Road after the Planning Board identified an omission on the public notice. The board asked the Land Use Administrator to re-notice the application for consideration after a town warrant vote.
Richard Pratt, chairman of the Town of Winchester Planning Board, opened the board’s Feb. 2 meeting and read a public hearing notice for a boundary-line adjustment application submitted by Richard Drew on behalf of Waldschmidt, Inc., for property on Old Spofford Road described in the notice as Map 11, Lot 22-6 and Lot A & B.
The notice listed existing and proposed acreages: the larger parcel was described in the notice with an existing area of 29.64 acres and a proposed area of 31.96 acres; Lot A & B were listed at 2.83 acres existing and 0.00 acres proposed, with 0.52 acres reserved as a right-of-way. Selectman representative Jack Marsh told the board the notice should list both owners — the Waldschmidts and the Town of Winchester — because both have interests in the parcels.
The Land Use Administrator (identified in the minutes as “LUA”) said no town representative was present because the selectmen had previously met on the matter but agreed that failing to list the town on the notice was an error. Richard Drew, who said he was representing the Waldschmidt family’s interests, explained the selectboard had already discussed the proposal and noted the related matter appears as a warrant article on the town ballot.
“After much discussion,” the minutes record, Drew withdrew the application. The Planning Board determined the application should return to the board only after the question on the warrant article has been decided by the town’s voters, and Chairman Pratt directed the Land Use Administrator to re-notice the application for the next monthly Planning Board meeting.
The minutes record two formal votes at the meeting unrelated to the boundary-line adjustment: the board approved the Jan. 5, 2026 minutes (motion by Jordan Sharra, second by Robert Browne), with six votes in favor and one abstention; and later unanimously approved a motion to adjourn (motion by Jordan Sharra, second by Jack Marsh).
The minutes include names and signature lines showing the minutes were approved on Feb. 16, 2026. The minutes also contain minor inconsistencies in spelling and parcel referencing (see audit), which the board flagged during discussion by requesting re-notice and clarifying ownership listing before the application returns for substantive consideration.
What happens next: the boundary-line adjustment will be re-noticed by the Land Use Administrator and the Planning Board will consider the application after the related warrant article is decided by town voters.
