Littleton Planning Board Directs Consultants to Model Combined MBTA Zoning Scenarios

LITTLETON -- June 8, 2023, Littleton Planning Board debates MBTA Communities Act zoning options near commuter rail station. The board heard buildout scenarios from Emily Kies of Ennis Associates showing that three parcels, SGOD Districts 1, 2, and 3, could each accommodate the state's minimum of 150 multifamily units on 10 acres within a half-mile of the Littleton station, but that reaching the required density would require three- to five-story buildings. Town Planner Maren Toohill confirmed a pending $8.5 million MassWorks sewer grant application would be jeopardized if the town fails to comply. Members directed the consultants to drop the highway-adjacent green parcel, model a combined yellow-and-red scenario at middle-ground density, and develop a public survey on housing types. Separately, the board voted four to zero to accept a $50,000 Affordable Housing Trust donation from developer Dave Guthrie of Grimes Road LLC, reducing a prior $70,000 commitment after Guthrie cited carry costs and legal fees from a 2021 utility-extension dispute, and voted unanimously to approve a Water Resource District Special Permit for a motor fuel outlet at 265 Foster Street.