Town Meeting passes three Planning Board articles

WINCHESTER - The Planning Board came, saw and conquered Town Meeting. They sent three articles forward and all three received unanimous approval in fairly short order.

While none of the articles were necessarily considered controversial, they do offer some slight changes to the zoning bylaws. For instance, Article 4 will now match the minimum lot frontage with the minimum lot width by adding insufficient lot width to the circumstances under which a reconstruction, extension, alteration, or change to a conforming structure or nonconforming lot may be permitted, and by reducing the minimum lot width in the RDA District from 120 feet to 100 feet.

Planning Board Chair Jack LeManager called this change “small but impactful.” He said it would help “residents modernize their homes with less administrative hassle,” adding how the current wording is “confusing.”

In a second article, LeManager said his board wants to remove the Center Business District Review Subcommittee to “simplify the process.” He said that committee has “proven to be redundant, forcing applicants to go through four boards.”

The subcommittee was made up of the Historical Commission and the Design Review Committee. It was initially designed to speed up the process; however, applicants would receive four reports: one from the Planning Board, one from the subcommittee, plus two more from the members of the Historical Commission and Design Review Committee not on the subcommittee.

LeManager said both the Historical Commission and the Design Review Committee endorsed the article.

The last article, Article 6, would, as LeManager noted, “save more trees” by not forcing applicants to submit paper copies for special permit and site plan review applications. Instead, submission requirements fall under the purview of the Special Permit Granting Authority (typically the Planning Board or Zoning Board of Appeals).

This means applicants can simply submit their plans electronically, as opposed to spending money on 20 or so paper copies. It would also, according to Planning Board member Brian Vernaglia, match practice with law.

The article also combines two hearings into one where applicable. For any project that requires both a site plan review and a special permit, the Special Permit Granting Authority would hold the two hearings simultaneously.

The Select Board recommended favorable action on all three articles.

Planning Board report

Before Town Meeting voted on articles 4 - 6, LeManager gave a “year in review,” basically summarizing what the board did since spring Town Meeting in May. He specifically pointed out four “major” projects: 972 Main St., 33 Mt. Vernon St. (nee 10 Converse Place), 10-16 Mt. Vernon St., and 910 Main St.

For 972 Main St., developers plan to construct 13 rental units (four 3-bedroom, seven 2-bedroom and two 1-bedroom) with one affordable unit, plus 15 below-grade parking spaces.

For 33 Mt. Vernon St., developers plan to construct 34 condo units (four 1-bedroom, 17 2-bedroom and 13 3-bedroom) with three affordable units, plus 34 below-grade parking spaces. They will also construct two commercial units. LeManager said construction could last 18 months.

For 10-16 Mt. Vernon St., developers are adding a new third floor and four additional rental apartments.

For 910 Main St., developers plan to construct 14 rental units (10 1-bedroom and four 2-bedroom) with one affordable unit, plus 14 below-grade parking spaces.

LeManager also mentioned three other projects. They include:

• 89 Cross St. - Nine townhouses with two affordable units now available to rent.

• 25 Waterfield Road - Developers are expected to break ground in January of 2027. The project consists of 56 rental units, with 40 listed as affordable.

• Washington/Swanton Street - Developers are expected to break ground in mid-2027. The project consists of 64 units, with 16 listed as affordable.

In total, the seven above-mentioned projects will bring 63 affordable units to Winchester (while 111 of the total units will count toward the town’s Subsidized Housing Index). Once that happens, LeManager said the town’s total SHI will come to 6.3 percent. State law says the number must reach 10 percent.

Town Meeting passes three Planning Board articles

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