Charlton Planning Board Approves Sweeping Zoning Overhaul for Town Meeting Vote

CHARLTON — May 7, 2025 — Charlton Planning Board votes unanimously to advance a sweeping zoning bylaw overhaul to town meeting. The board closed a public hearing Wednesday and accepted a package of amendments spanning nine sections of Chapter 200, including new accessory dwelling unit regulations required under MGL Chapter 40A that cap attached ADUs at 1,250 square feet and detached ADUs at 900 square feet or half the principal dwelling's gross floor area. Town Planner Kurt Nordquist confirmed the state "cannot unreasonably regulate or prohibit" ADUs, leaving Charlton little choice but to adopt compliant language. Twenty-two "yes by right" use designations were converted to require Planning Board site plan review or special permit, including medical offices, schools, restaurants, and stone-processing operations in community business zones. The board separately postponed a public hearing for GM Properties, LLC, on a multifamily project at 35 North Main Street after the tax collector reported the applicant was delinquent on property taxes, continuing the matter to May 21.