Planning Board Closes Maple Avenue Commercial Hearing, Advances Toward Conditional Approval

SHREWSBURY -- June 4, 2026, Shrewsbury Planning Board closes commercial hearing at 335 Maple Avenue, continues mixed-use component to July. The board voted unanimously Thursday night to close the public hearing on the commercial pad site component, Lot 1, of the 335 Maple Avenue development, with attorney Mark Borenstein of Waltham Bella and Worcester telling the board that outstanding peer review comments from Graves Engineering had been substantially resolved; the board warned the applicant that specific tenants and site layouts, including any drive-through uses, will require return appearances. The mixed-use Lot 2 portion, which has drawn concern about design and a pending right-turn lane study on Oak Street at Route 9, was continued to July 9. On a separate continued hearing for the proposed 250-unit mixed-use development at 525 Hartford Turnpike, traffic consultant Carrie Pike of Howard Stein Hudson reported a Route 20 daily volume of 25,000 vehicles and net new weekday morning trips of 233, with peer reviewer Maureen of Bowman Engineering confirming all traffic comments had been addressed; a Housing Choice grant application for the required Route 20 traffic signal was submitted to the state June 3, with awards expected in October. The board also bid farewell to nine-year member Dino Perna, who reflected on the body's work: "If nobody is happy, applicant, consultant, and resident, then that means we have done a good job of balancing the interests of everybody."