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.