Boxborough Planning Board Approves Zoning Cleanup Article for Spring Town Meeting

BOXBOROUGH — January 27, 2025 — Boxborough Planning Board unanimously approves zoning cleanup warrant article and opens working session on Route 111 rezoning. The board voted 5-0 Monday to close its public hearing and recommend Article 3, Zoning Bylaw Amendment, Language Cleanup, as amended January 27, 2025, for town meeting after Town Planner Alec Nickerson confirmed the two-page spreadsheet document is finalized and ready for the warrant. The board then held a two-hour working session on member Rich Buzzard's proposal to rezone 11 Industrial Commercial parcels along Route 111 into a new Business 2 district, during which member Cindy Markowitz presented a slide analysis arguing the change should await completion of the MBTA Communities overlay district work, a fire station site decision, and a new master plan process. Buzzard countered that the current IC district allows warehousing, commercial earth removal, and large-scale manufacturing by right — uses he said are inconsistent with the town's main street. The board agreed to continue refining the use table before setting a public hearing, with the next meeting scheduled for February 3.