NADINE OSTROW

ELI HAUSER

BIRUTE ZIAUGRA, ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

The Planning Board met twenty-five times in public session and held nine public hearings. There was one subdivision plan that was submitted in the preliminary stage, and one subdivision that was submitted in the preliminary and definitive stages. Numerous Form A Plans (Approval Not Required) and Sign Approvals were submitted and acted upon.

The subdivision plans that were submitted for action were:

Adeola Meadows, Preliminary Plan – Disapproved

Hunter’s Ridge, Preliminary Plan – Approved

Definitive Plan - Pending

There were also several 40B submissions requiring Board attention and comment. These included properties on Edgehill Road (Avalon), Old Post Road, Estates at Borderland (Rattlesnake Hill) and King Phillip Estates.

Additional business included acceptance, reduction and substitution of sureties on subdivisions approved in earlier years; meetings with various developers presenting sketch plans for subdivision guidance; and addressing numerous other concerns in various subdivisions.

Other major issues that the Board worked on were possible revamping and reconstruction of the Delapa properties on Pond Street; a cell tower overlay district; possible development of the Gobbi properties in the South Main Street/Old Post Road area; site plan review of the proposed new office building for Elovic Dental; scenic roads and sidewalk hearings; proposed paving of portions of Mountain Street; and interviewing potential candidates for appointment to several Town boards.

Presented by the Board and successfully voted at Town Meeting was the Mixed Use Overly District By-law. The purpose of this by-law is to promote mixed use development to increase the availability of affordable housing, provide housing alternatives to meet local needs, promote walkable neighborhoods, foster attractive village settings, preserve critical environmental assets and support economic revitalization in the Town Center as well as other commercial, transit-oriented locations.

A good deal of the Board’s time was spent on the Hunter’s Ridge subdivision, which will be constructed off Lantern Lane. This is the first age-qualified subdivision being built in the Town under the Conservation Subdivision Design (CSD) by-law passed by the Town several years ago. The purpose of the by-law was to provide the developer density bonuses for building an age qualified development and for providing additional open space. Discussions are ongoing with a final decision to be rendered in the coming year.

The Sharon Planning Board spent much of the year working on a long-range Community Development Plan under the guidelines, and with funding from, Executive Order 418, issued by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Board had started working on this project last year, and after many additional public meetings, saw the project come to fruition with the results being summarized in a report to the Town.

The Board developed an impact analysis for 40B regulations on the Town’s housing inventory, presented to the Board of Selectmen. The Board worked with Peter Cain, Assistant Town Engineer, to identify Town owned properties that might be used for creating Town-sponsored affordable housing development.

The Board members wish to express their gratitude to Joel Tran for his work on the Board and were pleased that Arnold Cohen was elected to the Board in the spring Town election.

The Board sincerely wishes to express its appreciation and compliments to the other Town Boards, Town employees and the many citizens who have assisted us during the year. In particular, special mention must be made regarding the invaluable contributions made by the Board’s Administrative Assistant, Ms. Birute Ziaugra, and the Assistant Town Engineer, Peter O’Cain.