Littleton Planning Board Clears Permits, Renews Peer Review Pact Amid Housing Zone Debate

LITTLETON -- January 11, 2024, Littleton Planning Board renews peer review contract and restarts MBTA Communities housing zoning effort after state rejection. The board voted unanimously at its January 11 meeting to extend its peer review agreement with Green International Affiliates for 12 months and authorized use of a $30,000 Finance Committee reserve fund transfer to re-engage a planning consultant for a second attempt at multi-family zoning required under the MBTA Communities law, a prerequisite for the town's eligibility for MassWorks and Housing Choice grants, including a $9.5 million infrastructure award tied to the 550 King Street development. Planning Director Mauren Mullen said the state confirmed no waivers will be granted and clarified that only 20 percent of the minimum unit count, not 20 percent of total housing, must be located within a half-mile of the commuter rail station, potentially reducing required density near the station to 150 units on a 10-acre parcel. The board voted 5-0 to approve a preliminary two-lot industrial subdivision at 245 Foster Street filed by property owner Robert Long, whose attorneys at Reamer and Bronstein said the filing freezes the site's industrial zoning for up to eight years while leaving the town free to rezone, and Long told the board his family "drank the Kool-Aid" on transit-oriented housing and remains willing to cooperate. The consultant is expected at the February 1 meeting.