Charlton Planning Board Requires New Site Plan for Amazon Flex Driver Expansion

CHARLTON — January 21, 2026 — Charlton Planning Board tells Amazon it needs a new site plan before adding flex delivery drivers. The board received an informal presentation January 21 from Amazon project manager Matt Fleck, who described a proposed program using personal-vehicle contractors — dispatched by smartphone app, similar to Uber or Instacart — to pick up and deliver packages directly from the 53 Sturbridge Road warehouse, with a hard cap of 700 vehicle visits per 24 hours (700 in, 700 out) and a forecast of 350 to 400. Zoning Enforcement Officer Curtis Meskus told the board the original special permit for the automated sorting facility "specifically" prohibited household delivery from the site, making the change a major modification requiring a full new site plan application, a traffic study, and a public hearing. "I personally have no problem with it, but I have to enforce the steps," Meskus said. The board also voted unanimously to approve a landscaping waiver for two Lambs Farm Subdivision residents and to continue both a Nextera Energy solar decommissioning bond discussion and a C.R. Hansen Construction site plan application to February 4; Assistant Planner Jayne Gamey reported 35 companies have requested the RFP for Charlton's Comprehensive Master Plan, with proposals due January 28.