Charlton Planning Board selects CMRPC for master plan, approves Jennings Road bond release

CHARLTON — November 19, 2025 — Charlton Planning Board selects CMRPC for master plan update after extended grant-fairness debate. The board voted unanimously at its November 19 meeting to hire the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission for stage one of a master plan update, at a cost of $49,900, though not before members spent the bulk of the meeting debating whether CMRPC had gained an unfair advantage by structuring its proposal around a $100,000 grant that the other two respondents — Barrett Planning Group LLC of Hingham and Dodson and Flinker of Florence — had not known about, resulting in a full two-stage CMRPC bid of approximately $165,000 against competitors' $50,000 proposals. "It almost seems like a flawed bidding because the bidders know what we can do and spend," one member said. The board separately voted to release $75,042 in Phase 3 subdivision bond funds for the Gare LLC Jennings Road Extension project, based on a Graves Engineering cost review, and continued the Punican Hill Definitive Subdivision Plan Modification and the GM Properties multi-family housing hearing at 35 North Main Street to the December 3 meeting — the Nextera Energy solar decommissioning bond matter was also held for December 3, pending town counsel's attendance.