Planning Board Approves Webster Street Special Permit
Marshfield Planning Board approves Webster Street permit, raises alarm over ZBA variance trend. The board voted 5-0 Monday to approve a special permit for a mixed-use project at 745 Webster Street, with Chair Michael Biviano Jr. abstaining because he'd missed both hearings on the case.
Planning Board · Meeting of September 28, 2026
Marshfield Planning Board approves Webster Street permit, raises alarm over ZBA variance trend. The board voted 5-0 Monday to approve a special permit for a mixed-use project at 745 Webster Street, with Chair Michael Biviano Jr. abstaining because he'd missed both hearings on the case. Members also voted 5-0 to endorse three Community Preservation Committee land purchases, including a 30-acre Holly Hill/Chestnut Hills parcel and a lot at 235 Main Street, for the October 2026 Special Town Meeting warrant.
Town Planner Karen Horn told the board the Zoning Board of Appeals granted an unprecedented frontage variance on a two-acre Union Street lot that could allow "six units," prompting Vice Chair Katharine O'Donnell to warn the trend is "setting precedent that is going to take power away from the planning board." Horn said she's awaiting town counsel's opinion on whether a subdivision waiver is still required before any building permit can issue.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,602 words
Source: the Planning Board meeting of September 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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