Southborough Planning Board elects Braccio chair, clears 200 Turnpike Road occupancy

SOUTHBOROUGH — June 1, 2026 — Southborough Planning Board reorganizes under new Chair Lisa Braccio and clears a path for occupancy at 200 Turnpike Road. The board unanimously elected Braccio as chair and Deborah DeMuria as vice chair at its June 1 meeting, filling seats vacated by departing Chair Meme Luttrell. In the night's most consequential action, also unanimous, the board voted to recommend that the town's building inspector issue a full certificate of occupancy for a contractor facility owned by CMJ Ventures LLC at 200 Turnpike Road, contingent on a $30,000 performance bond, completion of all landscaping and slope stabilization by October 1, 2026, and a re-inspection one year later. Engineer Peter Bemis argued that apart from plant die-off driven by severe storms and a harsh winter, the site substantially meets its approved plan, telling the board, "We have done everything that this plan called for." Two other Turnpike Road public hearings — the Golf Range modification at No. 22 and a non-compliance matter at No. 154 — were continued to June 22 with a hard July 17 decision deadline on both.