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Selectboard and Planning Commission send Tier 1B response defending limited Neighborhood Development Area
Summary
Westford’s Planning Commission and CCRPC representative presented a response defending the town’s choice of a limited Neighborhood Development Area for Tier 1B inclusion; the Selectboard approved sending both the PC-drafted response and the required LURB/CCRPC form packet to regional and state reviewers.
Ben Bornstein, the town’s CCRPC representative, and Planning Commission Chair Max Tyler presented a draft response regarding Westford’s Tier 1B designation for the Neighborhood Development Area (NDA). Tyler said the document explains why the town believes the more-limited NDA is the correct area for Tier 1B inclusion and notes the PC’s intent to defend the area they previously accepted. The board read the draft aloud at the meeting so attendees could hear the reasoning before the packet was sent.
Board members and members of the public sought clarity about which specific area was being reaffirmed. Harmony Cism, the town’s Zoning Administrator and Planning Coordinator, clarified that the procedural LURB form included in the packet is the standard certification required from every municipality electing Tier 1B inclusion and is not itself editable; the PC/CCRPC response is a separate, explanatory letter. The Selectboard voted to accept the letter drafted by Max and Ben and to send the packet to CCRPC and Ms. Hurley at LURB (motions passed 5-0).
Planning Commission Chair Max Tyler and CCRPC Representative Ben Bornstein will finalize the response and coordinate submission to the regional and state review bodies. Community members asked for public notice on the exact area targeted in the reaffirmation; the board agreed future outreach would seek to clarify boundary details.
