Boxborough Planning Board Moves Toward Data Center Moratorium for Fall Town Meeting

BOXBOROUGH -- July 20, 2026, Boxborough Planning Board moves toward a data center moratorium and confronts a state zoning overhaul that put the town's bylaw out of compliance as of July 1. At the July 20 remote meeting, Town Planner Alec Guzzardi briefed the board on recently signed amendments to MGL Chapter 40A that expand variance rights, introduce a "practical difficulty" standard, and require municipalities to accept residential use variance applications, a category Boxborough's bylaw currently prohibits outright. Guzzardi said he is preparing a full bylaw deficiency assessment to deliver before the August 3 meeting, with the August 31 placeholder date held for potential emergency action; draft Town Meeting warrant language is due September 8 and final language September 22. The board reached informal consensus to bring three items to Fall Town Meeting: the required MBTA Communities zoning article, a temporary data center moratorium, and any amendments necessitated by the Chapter 40A changes. Member Mark White, echoing broader board sentiment, called the state's approach "a blow against home rule in the name of housing" and said it was "not good policy." The board also voted 4-0 (White recused) to continue a public hearing on a proposed landscape contractor yard at 984 Massachusetts Ave. to September 23, and agreed unanimously to shift to hybrid meetings beginning August 17 at 7:30 p.m.