Meeting report · Planning Board
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Planning Board — March 24, 2026
The meeting featured intense debate over the technical language and long-term neighborhood impacts of proposed zoning changes.
Public impact
Issues from this meeting with documented community impact.
01
Zoning Map Amendment: 249 Andover Street
Potential shift from residential to commercial use for a specific site. Affected: Residents near Andover Street and the adjacent Home Depot.
zoning change
02
In-home Dog Daycare Zoning Amendment
Broad impact on residential neighborhood character regarding noise, traffic, and animal density. Affected: All residents in R1, R2, and R3 districts.
zoning change
Decisions logged
Every recorded vote, with timestamps and dissents.
Motion to continue the public hearing regarding the 249 Andover Street zoning map amendment until the next meeting.
The hearing was continued to Monday, April 6th, to allow for further public comment and to accommodate potential feedback from the Select Board and Finance Committee.
Passed (Unanimous)
Motion to continue the public hearing regarding the zoning bylaw amendment to the next meeting.
The hearing was continued to the next meeting scheduled for April 6, 2026.
Passed
Motion to adjourn the meeting.
The meeting was adjourned following the discussion on the continued hearing and upcoming items.
Passed
Topics discussed
Click a topic to expand quotes and full context.
▶ 17:05 Zoning Map Amendment: 249 Andover Street
A citizen's petition to rezone 249 Andover Street from Residential 3 (R3) to Highway Corridor Zone (HCZ) to facilitate the future development of a community ice skating rink facility. The petitioner argued the current residential zoning is incompatible with the commercial nature of the adjacent Home Depot and historical use of the site.
Speakers: Lewis George, Mike Veno, Peter Vanco, Brian Deise, Jim Sears, Dean Harden, Kevin Barrett, Bill McKenzie, Denise Casey, Linda Pulcari
▶ 64:37 Zoning Bylaw Amendment: In-home Dog Daycare
A citizen's petition to amend the zoning bylaw to allow 'kennel commercial boarding or training' (or in-home doggy daycare/boarding/pet sitting) in R1, R2, and R3 districts via a special permit process. The petitioner argued this would allow the town to regulate existing, unmonitored in-home pet care businesses. Discussion covered distinctions between 'kennel' and 'pet daycare', potential nuisances such as noise, traffic, and parking, impact on residential neighborhoods, and concerns about petition language breadth and ambiguity. Debate also addressed procedural issues including whether the petition sought to amend 'zoning regulations' instead of the 'zoning bylaw' and limits on making amendments more restrictive at Town Meeting.
Speakers: Lewis George, Melissa Nardone, Jean Hartnett, Jim Sears, Planning Board Members, Vanessa White, Nova, Mr. Brad Street, Ms. Reguchi, Unidentified speaker, Josh, Natalie Fiori, Jim, McKenna, Kevin Barrett
▶ 161:00 Upcoming Agenda and Training
Review of upcoming meeting items, including anticipated applications for 156 Maple Street and a scheduled training session on Open Meeting Law and hearing procedures.
Speakers: Unidentified speaker, Josh
Controversy & dissent
Where the board, the community, or the agenda diverged.
Potentially controversial issues
01
Zoning Map Amendment: 249 Andover Street
The proposal seeks to rezone a residential property to a Highway Corridor Zone for a commercial ice rink. Tension exists regarding the potential for future commercial uses if the rink project fails, and the impact of commercial lighting/noise on adjacent residents.
Board position: Cautious/Deferential; the board moved to continue the hearing to gather more data and allow for Select Board/Finance Committee feedback.
medium concern
02
Zoning Bylaw Amendment: In-home Dog Daycare
The petition seeks to legalize in-home pet care in R1, R2, and R3 residential districts. Concerns involve potential nuisances (noise, traffic, parking), the breadth of the language, and the risk of 'bad actors' using the amendment to run large-scale operations in residential neighborhoods.
Board position: Critical of current drafting; the board signaled that the petition is too broad and ambiguous, suggesting it needs specific criteria (lot size, fencing, etc.) rather than a blanket amendment.
Internal dissent
While the vote to continue was passed, board members expressed significant philosophical and technical disagreements regarding the scope of the amendment and its potential for misuse.
high concern
Split votes
Motion to continue the public hearing regarding the 249 Andover Street zoning map amendment
Passed (Unanimous)
Motion to continue the public hearing regarding the zoning bylaw amendment (Dog Daycare)
Passed
Community vs. board tension
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Action items
Who owes what, by when.
Provide additional site photos/renderings and potentially conduct traffic and noise studies for the next hearing.
Assigned: Petitioner (Mike Veno/Peter Vanco) · Due: 2026-04-06
Clarify and potentially amend petition language to ensure consistency between 'kennel' and 'pet daycare' definitions and to address the broadness of the request across R1, R2, and R3 zones.
Assigned: Planning Board / Petitioner
Seek input/education from the town dog officer and enforcement agency regarding the current prevalence and impact of unregulated in-home dog businesses.
Assigned: Planning Board
Address concerns raised during the hearing and consider potential revisions to the petition language/definitions (e.g., clarifying 'in-home pet sitting' vs 'boarding').
Assigned: Petitioner · Due: April 6, 2026
Clarify questions regarding the ability to make more restrictive amendments and provide guidance on the petition process.
Assigned: Town Staff (Josh) · Due: April 6, 2026
Prepare meeting minutes for the next meeting.
Assigned: Planning Staff · Due: April 6, 2026
Notable statements
The property sits right next to Home Depot... I can't think of a person that would like to live next to a Home Depot with lights on the parking lot until 11 o'clock at night. — Brian Deise · Arguing the necessity of the rezoning due to current site proximity to commercial usage. ▶ 33:50
Once it's turned over to commercial and it's not this community skating rink, what could go there? — Kevin Barrett · Expressing concern that rezoning opens the door to any commercial use if the skating rink project fails. ▶ 52:19
It is not about creating something new. It is about creating a safe and responsible way to oversee something that already exists. — Melissa Nardone · Explaining the rationale for allowing in-home dog daycare via special permit. ▶ 95:15
I'm not proposing large commercial facilities... My proposal is about having the town, the zoning board and board of health be part of what's already happening in this town by regulating the 15 or so in-home doggy daycares that are already existing. — Melissa Nardone · Clarifying the intent of her petition to legalize existing businesses rather than invite massive commercial operations. ▶ 75:00
I'm not planning for the best person. I'm planning for the worst person. Whenever we do anything... what's the worst thing they can put in there? — Planning Board Member · Expressing concern that even if the petitioner is responsible, the law must account for bad actors who might operate excessive numbers of dogs. ▶ 87:00
I think it would be a great thing for the town... gives dog owners peace of mind... I would not want to put my dog in a commercial kennel. I would put them with someone like Melissa. — Ms. Reguchi · Public comment in support of the petition, emphasizing the preference for home-based care over corporate facilities. ▶ 173:43
I wouldn't support it because I think that we need to more so amend our zoning around dog kennels... so that when they go before the ZBA... they've met XYZ criteria. And then you go in front of the ZBA and say, 'I've met XYZ criteria. This is what I want. Can I have it?' — Planning Board Member · Suggesting that instead of a blanket approval in all residential zones, the bylaws should be updated with specific criteria (lot size, fencing, dog ratios) to be met during the Special Permit process. ▶ 184:48
The petition says this petition to amend the table of use regulations. We have a table of allowable uses that is in the zoning bylaw, not the zoning regulation. — Kevin Barrett · Pointing out a technical error in the wording of the citizen's petition. ▶ 140:36
The language is over broad. The intent is over broad. The language is ambiguous and it needs to be sent back for further review. — Jim · Summarizing his position on the current state of the proposed zoning amendment. ▶ 147:00
My understanding is that on a zoning amendment petition, you can't make amendments that make it more restrictive. — McKenna · Raising a procedural concern regarding potential amendments at Town Meeting. ▶ 134:48
Member positions
1 issues · 0 explicit · 0 inferred
Present
Present
Present
Zoning Bylaw Amendment: In-home Dog Daycare
✓
Language over broad and ambiguous; needs further review
Positions marked ~ are inferred from context and may not reflect the member's explicitly stated position.
Public comment
What residents said — verbatim, with timestamps.
No public comments were identified in this meeting.
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Report composed by
grok-4.3, gemma-4-26b, grok-4-fast, grok-4.20-0309-reasoning · analyzed 2026-05-29.