Littleton Planning Board Drops Foster Street MBTA Zoning Site, Delays Town Meeting Vote

LITTLETON — March 8, 2023 — Littleton planners shelve Spring Town Meeting MBTA zoning timeline after residents reject Foster Street site. At a March 8 joint public workshop, consultants Emily Ennis of Ennis Associates and Chris Harlick of RKG Associates presented three illustrative development scenarios — ranging from roughly 300 to 400 units — for a 35.3-acre industrial parcel on Foster Street near Littleton Station, the team's preferred site for satisfying the MBTA Communities Multifamily Act's requirement of at least 150 units on 10 acres within a half mile of the commuter rail platform. Residents pushed back hard on Foster Street's narrow right-of-way, lack of sidewalks, and the history of a prior station-area master plan that was pulled before town meeting after public opposition. The board directed Ennis to instead model two alternative parcels near Taylor Street — District 2 at 11.5 acres and District 3 at 30.7 acres — and Ennis acknowledged the project "is not going to be ready for Spring Town Meeting" on May 1, committing to a revised schedule coordinated with town planning staff.