Littleton Planning Board Finds Cannabis Permit Lapsed, Debates MBTA Zoning Revival

LITTLETON — November 16, 2023 — Littleton Planning Board received a federal hazard mitigation plan update, voted to find a cannabis retailer's special permit lapsed, and debated how to revive a failed MBTA Communities zoning bylaw — all in a single November 16 session. Consultants Martin Pillsbury and Jennifer Wallach of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council presented the town's five-year Hazard Mitigation Plan renewal, identifying flood-prone areas including King Street and Beaver Brook and targeting a FEMA and MEMA approval by August 2024 that would restore Littleton's eligibility for federal infrastructure grants. The board voted unanimously to find the Littleton Apothecary special permit at 160 Great Road lapsed after no building permits were filed in the required two-year window, sending the matter to the Select Board. On the MBTA Communities Act, members agreed to restart the public process for a May Town Meeting vote after roughly 140 voters defeated the earlier bylaw at a Special Town Meeting, with one member noting the outcome reflected a town of "over 3,000" registered voters; the board also discussed sending a letter to Housing and Livable Communities Secretary Ed Augustus asking whether 550-plus units already approved at 550 King Street could satisfy the town's 150-unit state obligation. Rick Freiberg of TEC, representing the Lupoli Companies, separately disclosed informal plans for a 100-to-150-room boutique hotel at the western end of the King Street Common site, with a formal application expected in mid-December.