Boxborough panel delays votes on six zoning articles

Economic Development Committee · Meeting of March 19, 2026

Boxborough Economic Development Committee delays recommendations on six zoning warrant articles. The committee voted 5-0 to approve its February 12 minutes but pushed decisions on design review authority, parking rules, specialty food shop definitions and a plastic bag and polystyrene ban to its April 9 meeting. Assistant Town Planner Alec Wade said the planning board withdrew a Massachusetts Avenue rezoning article after public pushback but plans to revive it at fall town meeting.

Member Lavanya Selvaraj, who owns a local specialty food shop, warned the plastics bylaw could hurt businesses reliant on plastic packaging, saying "it's not that bad, but wherever possible, that's what we try to use." Member John Neyland called design guidelines outdated, saying "the town should go back to log cabins" if strict conformity were required. The committee took no position on a rodenticide home rule petition, since it only seeks state permission for a future local ban.

In the full story:

• The complete report — 878 words

Source: the Economic Development Committee meeting of March 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.