Here is a summary of the Middleboro Planning Board meeting from June 2nd, 2026:

Financials & Expenditures

The board approved paying presented bills unanimously, but no specific dollar amounts over $10,000 were discussed or approved.

Leanne Bradley’s requested salary for the Town Planner position is “a little more than what is budgeted”. Board members were assured this can be addressed at the Fall Town Meeting.

Zoning & Planning

The board decided that meeting materials, including plans for projects like Fallbrook and Grace Estates, need to be posted with the agenda on the town website for public access.

A public hearing was held for the Grace Estates definitive subdivision plan (Map 71, Lot 2938, Ronald Grace). This plan proposes four residential lots on 9.9 acres off Cherry Street.

• Access will be via a new 960-foot road from Cherry Street, intended to be a town-accepted public way.
• Each lot will have on-site septic systems and wells, as no town water or sewer is available in the area.
• A drainage system with a recharge/detention basin at the rear of the property will manage stormwater, and individual roof runoff recharge systems are planned for each home.
• The property is in the Water Resource Protection District Zone 3.
• Board members questioned the basin design, a requirement for fencing around basins over 4 feet deep (which the applicant agreed to add), and requested abutter well/septic locations be shown on plans.

A public hearing was held for the Fallbrook Estates commercial subdivision (Map 72, Lot 2616, NSP, LLC) at 77 East Grove Street (Route 28). This Form C application proposes seven lots on 93.5 acres.

• Three lots are buildable, with four designated for drainage/detention basins and other non-buildable uses.
• The proposed roadway, accessing from East Grove Street, includes public water and underground electric, telephone, and cable. Gravity sewer pipes are planned but no public sewer is currently available.
• Two stormwater basins are designed to handle runoff, utilizing infiltration to recharge groundwater.
• Landscaping includes 37 street trees (species reviewed against town regulations) and street lighting on one side with a proposed sidewalk.
• The entrance on Route 28 (a state highway) will undergo MassDOT review, which may result in a reduction from the proposed two lanes in.
• Board members requested full-size copies of plans due to difficulty reading small print.
• A resident raised a question about additional fees for the Fallbrook project due to a recent change in the town’s fee schedule, which the applicant agreed to pay if owed.

Resident Action & Public Hearings

The Planning Board voted to extend the deadline for the Grace Estates definitive subdivision plan review to July 28th, 2026. The next public hearing for Grace Estates is scheduled for July 7th, 2026, at 6:30 p.m..

The public hearing for Fallbrook Estates was continued to July 7th, 2026, at 6:30 p.m..

The Planning Board meeting originally scheduled for June 16th was rescheduled to June 23rd, 2026. The chair will cancel if no substantive items are ready for the agenda.

The Hidden News

A resident, Judy Bigelow Costa of Wood Street, spoke regarding the Fallbrook Estates project, expressing significant concern about water usage by a proposed, unposted “outdoor recreational facility” (described by the public as a “surf lagoon”) on one of the buildable lots. She emphasized the town’s existing water issues and requested that any future proposals for high water usage facilities consider alternative water systems, like those at Oak Point, and undergo feasibility studies. The applicant confirmed this conceptual plan is not currently before the Planning Board but will be presented to the Select Board on June 29th and subsequently to the Zoning Board of Appeals.

An unnamed resident raised a conflict of interest concern regarding Planning Board members serving on other town boards (Select Board, ZBA) that will also review the Fallbrook Estates project. The resident requested a written opinion from town counsel or the ethics commission. The Chair stated he had consulted the State Ethics Commission, which indicated no conflict for unpaid elected officials without monetary consideration, but would call them again. One board member, Nancy, stated her intention to recuse or abstain from voting on the project but still wished to ask questions as a board member, or as a member of the public.

Leanne Bradley was formally appointed as the new Town Planner, effective July 1st, 2026, following the retirement of Joe. While a board member requested a resume and adherence to standard hiring practices, others strongly supported the immediate appointment due to her long-standing experience and critical need for the position.

The board discussed preparing a town meeting article regarding data centers and battery storage sites in Middleboro. The staff was directed to obtain Mansfield’s data center bylaw (including any K.P. Law review and public brochures) as a starting point. A working meeting with the new Town Planner will be scheduled to discuss these topics, with some urgency noted for the Fall Town Meeting.