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The board will receive an update on inspection reports and a site visit conducted with a peer review engineer for the Garrison Path subdivision. This is a status update ahead of a possible bond release vote later in the meeting. No vote is scheduled for this item itself.

The board is scheduled to vote on releasing the financial bond (a security deposit held to ensure a developer completes required work) for the Garrison Path subdivision, as the subdivision has reportedly been completed to the Town's satisfaction. If approved, the developer's bond funds would be returned. This is coming up for a vote on June 15, 2026.

The board will receive an update on a grant application related to recodifying (reorganizing and modernizing) Medfield's zoning bylaws. This is an informational update; no vote is listed. A successful grant could fund a comprehensive review of the town's zoning rules.

The board will receive an informational update on sidewalks along Route 109. No further details are provided in the agenda, and no vote is listed for this item on June 15, 2026.

The Planning Board will hold its second deliberation session on a Site Plan Approval request from R.K. Medfield, LLC to build a new 3,293 sq ft Chase Bank branch at Shaw's Plaza (230 Main St). The public hearing has already been closed, so no further public testimony will be accepted. The board may vote on approval at this or a future session.

Board members will provide updates from several town committees and initiatives they liaise with, including the Affordable Housing Trust, a sidewalk project on Route 109, the Historical Commission, the School Building Committee, and the Wayfinding Committee. These are informational updates from the April 27, 2026 period.

The Board continued line-by-line review of a draft decision for a new 3,293 square-foot Chase Bank building with associated parking, sidewalks, landscaping, and stormwater work at the Shaw's Plaza shopping center. The public hearing is closed and no new testimony is allowed; the Board did not vote and continued deliberations to May 18. The project also needs a separate Zoning Board of Appeals approval because the site is nonconforming and parking spaces would be reduced.

Members objected to the draft calling the parking changes 'minor,' saying it could mislead the public, and agreed the decision should state the actual number of spaces lost. Staff noted the Zoning Board of Appeals was set to vote on a reduction of as many as 38 parking spaces, which would limit the Planning Board's flexibility. The final findings will spell out the exact parking count.

Member McKechnie argued that proposed paint striping around a tight S-curve would let cars park into the maneuvering area and block fire trucks, and pushed for restoring a curb and shifting parking spaces. The Fire Chief had preferred striping because trucks can pass over it, and the traffic peer reviewer found the layout acceptable. The Board leaned toward 'recommending' curbing rather than requiring it, and kept a condition (Condition 16) letting the Fire Chief test truck movement on-site before construction.

The Board discussed conditions to prohibit storing plowed snow in parking spaces, driveways, internal drives, and emergency maneuvering areas, and to require removal within about 24 hours, after seeing access aisles blocked by snow the prior winter. Snow removal would be the responsibility of property owner RK Medfield LLC, not the tenant Chase. Members raised concerns that enforcement is weak because local fines have limited 'teeth.'

The Board voted unanimously to continue deliberations to May 18, 2026 at 7:30 PM, after the Zoning Board of Appeals acts on the parking relief. Staff will update the draft decision and send it to Town Counsel for final legal review before any Planning Board vote.

Staff reported the Board will not present from the floor but will distribute its legally required oral report on the zoning articles. The mixed-use overlay article needs a simple majority and the sign bylaw article needs a two-thirds vote. Staff had received no public calls about the articles.

The Planning Board will deliberate (no further public testimony allowed) on a request by R.K. Medfield, LLC to build a new 3,293 square-foot Chase Bank branch at Shaw's Plaza, 230 Main Street. The project includes new sidewalks, landscaping, stormwater management, utilities, and minor parking changes including ADA-compliant spaces. The public hearing was closed on April 14, 2026, so this deliberation session could result in a vote on approval.

The Board will receive an informational update about sidewalks on Route 109. No further details are provided in the agenda; it is unclear whether any action or vote is anticipated.

RK Medfield, LLC wants to build a new 3,293-square-foot Chase Bank building at Shaw's Plaza, with new sidewalks, landscaping, stormwater drainage, utilities, and minor parking changes including ADA spaces. The Board closed the public hearing but did not vote on approval, and instead postponed deliberations. Board members and the Fire Chief raised serious concerns that fire trucks and delivery vehicles cannot safely navigate a tight internal 'S-curve,' and that the applicant's snow-storage plan repeatedly blocked access aisles last winter.

Resident Joseph Kelly objected that the applicant understated parking demand and traffic, citing full lots and cars circling for spaces near Chipotle. He asked the Board to deny or postpone the project six months to a year to observe real conditions, especially if a private gate closes the internal road between 250 and 258 Main Street. He also raised concerns about late-night snow removal disturbing neighbors and questioned the reliability of the traffic studies.

Because members could not agree on conditions for snow removal and the S-curve emergency access, the Board voted 6-0 to continue its deliberations to April 27, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. That session will focus solely on deciding the Chase Bank application and drafting conditions of approval.

Staff reported the Affordable Housing Trust will meet May 7 to sign a memorandum of understanding with the developer of 441 Main Street to release $400,000 in affordable housing funds authorized by Town Meeting borrowing in 2017; paperwork from a 2022 decision was never finalized. Staff also reported the Rosebay project, the Town's effort to reach the 10 percent affordable housing threshold, is close to approval and not controversial.

The Massachusetts School Building Authority selected Vertex as the Owner's Project Manager for the school building project. The Committee is now moving into the designer selection process through another request-for-services proposal.

The Planning Board's bylaw articles received unanimous support from both the Warrant Committee and the Select Board, and the warrant has gone to print. Staff still needs to coordinate on the mixed-use overlay presentation and will determine whether the Board must present at Town Meeting.

R.K. Medfield, LLC is seeking Planning Board approval to build a new 3,293 square-foot Chase Bank branch in the Shaw's Plaza parking lot at 230 Main Street. The project also includes new sidewalks, landscaping, stormwater management, and minor ADA parking adjustments. This is a continuation of a hearing that has been ongoing since November 2025.

The board will receive an informational update on sidewalk plans along Route 109. No vote is scheduled, but this could affect residents who live along or travel that corridor.

R.K. Medfield, LLC wants to build a new approximately 3,293-square-foot Chase Bank building in the Shaw's Plaza shopping center, along with sidewalks, landscaping, stormwater systems, and parking changes including new accessible (ADA) spaces. The Board reviewed revisions made after a site visit, including removing a parking space and converting a curbed island to striped pavement to give fire trucks more room to turn. The Board did not close the hearing and voted to continue the matter to April 14, 2026 so the Board's outside engineering reviewer could examine newly submitted documents.

A neighboring resident raised concerns that the bank's building lighting (including Chase's blue glow branding), HVAC noise, and loss of roughly 100 parking spaces during major snowstorms could affect nearby homes and property values. The applicant's team explained that branding lights are interior-only and aimed at ceilings/columns, that the larger Chase sign would face Main Street, and that signage would be reviewed separately by the Sign Advisory Board. The applicant's attorney argued, citing research, that proximity to a bank does not reduce property values and noted the last Medfield bank robbery was in 2011.

The Board raised how construction traffic and materials would be managed while Chipotle and the grocery store remain open and busy. The applicant said a general contractor had not yet been selected and a construction management plan would be prepared later. The Board indicated that if it approves the project, it would require submission and Town approval of a construction management plan meeting public safety standards before construction begins.

The Rosebay affordable housing project is working through details such as a pedestrian path for children, fencing, and relocating a school playground that currently encroaches on the Rosebay property. The Town is also exploring a Habitat for Humanity home-building project on Surrey Run, which faces strong neighborhood opposition and is roughly split 50-50; it will only advance if a Select Board member agrees to champion it.

The School Building Committee has been selecting an Owner's Project Manager through the state process, recommending Vertex Companies and CHA. The recommendation is now with the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which could change it and was expected to decide around April 6, with the next committee meeting on April 8.

The Board discussed upcoming Town Meeting articles, including a proposed Mixed Use Overlay District and changes to the Sign Bylaw, which were being presented to the Sign Advisory Board and Warrant Committee for recommendations. Staff sent about 600 mailers but only about seven people attended the informational meeting, and the Board planned additional public outreach, including a Medfield TV interview by member Sean Tiernan, to publicize the proposals before Town Meeting.

R.K. Medfield, LLC is seeking Planning Board approval to build a new 3,293 square-foot Chase Bank branch at Shaw's Plaza (230 Main Street). The project includes associated sidewalks, landscaping, stormwater management, and minor parking changes including new ADA-compliant spaces. This hearing has been continued multiple times since November 2025 and is coming up again for discussion on March 23, 2026.

The board will receive an informational update regarding sidewalks on Route 109. No vote is scheduled; this is a discussion item only.

The Board recommended bylaw changes to allow bigger signs for home-based businesses (freestanding signs up to 2 square feet and signs attached to a building up to 4 square feet, increased from the current 1 square foot limit) and to set new limits on how bright commercial signs can be lit, capping illumination at 3.5 foot-candles and banning internally lit translucent panels. The change grew out of a citizen's petition from a resident at 92 Green Street who operates an honorary Austrian consulate from his home and wanted to display an official sign too large under current rules. The Board removed a proposed ban on rope lighting, LED strips, and neon tubing after a local restaurant owner raised concerns it could affect long-standing decorative lighting.

The Board recommended a new zoning section (300-22) creating an optional Mixed Use Overlay District in downtown Medfield and along the Route 109 commercial corridor, allowing combined residential and commercial development (such as housing above ground-floor shops) by special permit. The overlay keeps the existing 35-foot height limit, does not require redevelopment, and aims to grow the town's commercial tax base from about 4% to a Select Board goal of 10%. Density could reach up to 20 units per acre for mixed-use (32 with bonuses) and 12 units per acre for townhouses (16 with bonuses), with projects of 7 or more units required to include 15% affordable housing. Chair James and member McKechnie recused themselves because they own property within the proposed district.

The Committee completed re-interviews for Owner's Project Manager candidates and made a recommendation; the Massachusetts School Building Authority will make the final appointment. Once the project team (including an architect) is in place, the public will see more involvement, including discussion of whether the project will be an addition/renovation, a new building, or another option. The Committee is currently in a holding pattern on broader public input.

Coming up for public comment on March 16, the board will hear input on a major proposed zoning change that would create a new Mixed Use Overlay District (a layer added on top of existing zoning to allow additional uses) covering parts of downtown Medfield and the Route 109 business corridor. If approved at Town Meeting, property owners in those areas could seek a special permit from the Planning Board to build mixed-use projects combining housing and commercial uses, with standards for building design, parking, pedestrian access, residential density, and affordable housing requirements. The Zoning Map would be formally amended to show the two sub-districts: MUOD-DTN (downtown) and MUOD-RT109 (Route 109).

Board members serving as liaisons to other town committees will provide updates as needed. Topics could include affordable housing initiatives, historic preservation matters, the school building project, and wayfinding signage efforts.

The board will receive an informational update on sidewalk work along Route 109. No vote is indicated; this is for discussion or informational purposes only.

The Planning Board held an on-site visit at Shaw's Plaza (Assessors' map 51, lot 058, B Zoning District with Partial Secondary Aquifer Overlay) to review a proposal by R.K. Medfield, LLC to construct a new 3,293 sq ft Chase Bank building with associated sidewalks, landscaping, stormwater management, utilities, and minor parking changes including ADA spaces. The applicant's engineer used traffic cones and spray paint to show the proposed building footprint and sidewalk locations. The Board discussed fire truck circulation through the plaza, with the Fire Chief demonstrating maneuvers using an actual fire truck; the engineer proposed using painted striping rather than fixed curbing near a tight turn to give fire apparatus more room, and the Fire Chief agreed to coordinate with the Police Department to confirm the design works. Two neighboring residents — one from 10 Green Street and one from 3 Hatter Hill — expressed concern that the building's location closer to the residential neighborhood could negatively affect nearby property values and asked whether the building could be shifted toward the Main Street traffic light entrance instead.

At 1:00 pm on March 10, 2026, the Planning Board will hold a public site visit at 230 Main St (Shaw's Plaza) to let board members and interested residents see the property firsthand. The public is welcome to attend. Questions may be asked through the Chair about physical site details such as boundaries, driveways, and buffers, but no formal testimony or broader discussion will be allowed at this visit.

R.K. Medfield, LLC is seeking Planning Board approval to construct a new approximately 3,293 sq ft Chase Bank building at Shaw's Plaza, along with sidewalks, landscaping, stormwater management, and utilities. Minor parking changes are also proposed, including updated ADA-accessible spaces. This is a continuance (the hearing has been postponed and carried over from meetings dating back to November 17, 2025), meaning the board has been reviewing this application for several months and will pick up where it left off.

Coming up for a vote on March 3, 2026, the board will appoint an Associate Member to serve as a full voting member of the Planning Board, filling the seat vacated by Seth Meehan's resignation. This is a joint meeting with the Select Board. No replacement candidate is named in the agenda.

R.K. Medfield, LLC wants to build a new 3,293-square-foot Chase Bank building in the Shaw's Plaza parking lot, with new sidewalks, landscaping, stormwater work, and minor parking changes including ADA spaces. The Board spent most of the meeting pressing the applicant on snow storage and emergency vehicle circulation, noting that recent storms left aisles blocked and sight lines obstructed. The Board asked for a clearer snow management plan with written thresholds for hauling snow off-site and continued the hearing.

The Board discussed that snow storage could remove an estimated 40 or so parking spaces during a major storm and could block aisles and emergency access. Members and the Fire Chief asked for defined limits on snow pile height and clear locations for storage, and the engineer agreed to develop a more formal plan. The number of usable parking spaces is tied to a separate parking variance the developer needs from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

The Board voted to hold an information-gathering site visit at Shaw's Plaza on March 10 at 1:00 p.m., with a fire truck on site to test how emergency vehicles can maneuver around the proposed building. The visit is open to the public. The Board's continued hearing on the project was set for March 23 at 7:30 p.m.

The Affordable Housing Trust has not met since about November and is waiting on contracts tied to housing development at the former state hospital property. Staff also submitted the 86 Plain Street units to the state's Subsidized Housing Inventory and will share updated affordable housing percentages once received.

The School Building Committee issued a request for an Owner's Project Manager (a firm to oversee a school building project), received submissions, and scheduled interviews of the top three candidates. A subcommittee will conduct the interviews with the full committee listening.

Staff is finalizing a presentation for a March 16 public hearing on the proposed Mixed-Use District zoning, which will be high-level on concepts with technical details from a consultant. The Board's articles will also be presented at an upcoming Warrant Committee meeting, and mailers have been sent to residents.

R.K. Medfield, LLC is seeking Planning Board approval to construct a new 3,293 square-foot Chase Bank branch at the Shaw's Plaza site (230 Main Street). The proposal also includes new sidewalks, landscaping, stormwater management, utilities, and minor parking changes including ADA-compliant spaces. This hearing has been continued several times from its original date of November 17, 2025.

The board will receive an informational update regarding sidewalks along Route 109. No details are provided in the agenda about the scope or status of any proposed project.

The Board reviewed the latest draft of a proposed bylaw that would create an optional downtown overlay district allowing mixed commercial, residential, civic, and entertainment uses. No votes were taken; the session was a working discussion to refine language before a public hearing. Chair James and member McKechnie both recused themselves because they own property within the proposed district.

The entire Montrose School parcel was added to the proposed mixed-use overlay district map. Staff emphasized that being included in an overlay is optional and does not mean redevelopment is planned or imminent. The Board discussed the need to clearly explain this to the public to avoid misunderstanding.

The draft sets a maximum building height of 35 feet and a maximum residential density of 12 units per acre (not a minimum). Language was revised to refer broadly to 'maximum building height' to avoid any interpretation that could restrict multifamily housing under state law.

Projects of more than seven units within the overlay would be required to set aside 15% of units as affordable housing. In practice, an eight-unit project would need one affordable unit. The Board expressed comfort with this threshold.

A public hearing on the mixed-use overlay district bylaw (and proposed sign bylaw amendments) is set for March 16, with March 18 as an overflow date. The Board plans to open the hearing with a 'Zoning 101' explanation to help residents understand overlays before diving into specifics. A consultant (Mr. Brovitz) will also present technical content.

The Chase Bank project requires both Planning Board site plan approval and Zoning Board approval. Staff explained that the applicant wants Planning Board action first because any changes required by the Planning Board could affect what the Zoning Board needs to address. The Zoning Board hearing, originally scheduled for February 11, was moved to early March. The Chase Bank matter is the primary agenda item for the March 2 Planning Board meeting.

Staff submitted the subsidized housing unit form for 86 Plain Street to update the Town's Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI). The addition will bring the Town closer to—but still below—the 10% affordable housing threshold required under state law. Reaching 10% is expected to depend on the Rose Bay project, anticipated in mid-March.

The School Building Committee posted a Request for Services for an Owner's Project Manager (OPM) on the prior Wednesday, with responses due by February 19. A subcommittee will manage selection, with full committee interviews scheduled for March 4 in executive session. The chosen OPM will then be submitted to the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), which has final approval.

The wayfinding signage project with consultant Selbert Perkins Design is nearly finished but appears to have exceeded its budget. After staff submitted extensive revision requests, the consultant indicated the additional work was beyond the original scope and would require more funding. Staff is awaiting a cost estimate and will update the Board.

The Planning Board is working on a new section of Medfield's zoning bylaws that would allow a mix of residential and commercial uses in the downtown area. The bylaw would also set rules for infill development (building on vacant or underused downtown lots). This comes up for discussion at the February 10 meeting and could eventually change what can be built downtown.

A Planning Board liaison will report on the latest activities of the School Building Committee. Residents following school facility plans should tune in for any updates.

The Board will receive an informational update about sidewalk conditions or plans along Route 109. No vote is listed, but this could relate to future infrastructure decisions affecting pedestrian safety along a major road through Medfield.