Boxborough Planning Board Finds MBTA Zoning Density Error, Plans Fall Town Meeting Fix

BOXBOROUGH -- April 6, 2026, Boxborough Planning Board learns its MBTA Communities zoning bylaw contains a density calculation error that puts the town out of compliance with state law. Town Planner Alec Wade disclosed at the April 6 remote meeting that a copy-and-paste error in the state's compliance spreadsheet caused the town's adopted 13-units-per-acre bylaw to generate an inaccurate gross density figure; the corrected model shows 12.1 units per acre, below the required 15. Wade said the quickest fix is to revise the bylaw to read 17 units per acre, which produces a corrected gross density of 15.7, and committed to running three land-inclusion scenarios for the board ahead of its next meeting. The town remains in interim compliance and retains state grant eligibility until a bylaw amendment can be brought to Fall Town Meeting, which state officials have agreed to accept as a timeline. The board also voted 4-0 to support a $15,000 Annual Town Meeting warrant article to fund a grant match for a Housing Production Plan, total project cost estimated between $60,000 and $70,000, after a December MAPC Technical Assistance Program application was deferred, and voted 3-0 to continue a public hearing on a proposed landscape contractor yard at 984 Massachusetts Avenue to July 20, pending an anticipated property sale to the town.