Hubbardston Planning Board Clears Article 4 Bylaw Revisions for Public Hearing

HUBBARDSTON -- April 23, 2026, Hubbardston Planning Board clears a line-by-line review of its Article 4 zoning bylaw rewrite ahead of a public hearing already noticed in a local newspaper. Chair Kristofer Munroe reported that he had run the redlined revision documents through an enterprise AI tool between meetings to check for internal consistency, which flagged errors in footnotes and cross-references. The four-member board, Munroe, Francois Steiger, Alan Carpenter, and associate member Mark Kresge, agreed to retitle solar uses as "large-scale solar voltaic installations" to match Article 20, corrected spelling of "battery energy storage systems" throughout the table and footnotes, and clarified that "non-conforming ADU" language should read "ADU on a non-conforming lot." A lengthier debate over the penalties section, specifically whether the phrase "criminal disposition" delays fine collection until after a court ruling, was resolved in favor of keeping the statutory language, which tracks MGL Chapter 40A Section 21D verbatim. A separate matter involving a 1989 subdivision off Williamsville Road with an unbuilt cul-de-sac and unresolved drainage obligations will be brought to Town Counsel KP Law on Tuesday.