Marshfield Planning Board Opens Hearing on 32-Unit Affordable Housing Project, Hears Widespread Opposition

MARSHFIELD -- June 1, 2026, Marshfield Planning Board opens its first hearing under the town's new LIP affordable-housing policy, drawing strong neighborhood opposition to a proposed 32-unit development on Forge Lane. Attorney Steve Gard presented the project Monday on behalf of applicant Faceoff Holdings, proposing 32 three-bedroom homes on a 15.69-acre former camp site, with eight units sold via affordable lottery and the remaining 24 capped at $725,000 for an initial sale, roughly $200,000 below nearby market averages, with a three-year resale restriction. More than a dozen residents spoke against the plan, citing a perched water table and documented drainage failures on Forge Lane, a 40-foot-wide access driveway they said would pass within feet of children's bedrooms, a traffic study they called methodologically flawed, and concerns that 32 homes aimed at young families would strain a school system already issuing teacher layoffs. Town Planner Karen Horn noted the board, operating under a policy adopted last year by the Select Board, must keep the written record open 30 days before voting on a recommendation; the board closed the public hearing unanimously and scheduled deliberation for its July 6 meeting, with the comment period closing July 1.