Bourne Planning Board Meeting - May 13, 2026 (Transcript: May 28, 2026)

The Bourne Planning Board met publicly at 7:00 p.m. at the Bourne Veterans Memorial Community Building. No agenda or minutes were available; this summary is based on the raw transcript. The supplied timestamp says May 13, 2026, while the transcript itself says May 28, 2026. The board re-elected officers, approved prior minutes, and took action on four applications: a cannabis dispensary site plan, a fish market/package store parking expansion, a granite countertop facility request scheduled for continuance, and a proposed amendment to a Scenic Highway shared driveway that was denied.

Consent Calendar

• Officers: The board re-elected the sitting chair by unanimous vote. Chris was elected vice chair; Rob was elected secretary; both votes were unanimous.
• Minutes: The April 9, 2026 meeting minutes were approved as printed on a motion by Jim, seconded by Mandy. Catherine, Jim, and the chair voted yes; Rob, Chris, and Doc abstained; Mandy voted as present.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Diane Johnson, a resident of the condo complex abutting 694 MacArthur Boulevard, asked about security fencing near the residential buffer. In response, the applicant agreed to install a six-foot chain-link fence with privacy slats along the westerly property line.
• No members of the public offered comments on the 1360 Route 28A application or the Scenic Highway amendment.

Discussion Items

SPR/SP 02-2026 - 694 MacArthur Boulevard (Bourne Cannabis)

• The applicant, represented by Eric Dias of Strong Point Engineering with ownership partners Janish Patel and Mike Kinahan, sought site plan and special permit approval to redevelop a 6,475-square-foot former auto-repair building into an adult-use cannabis retail store on a 28,799-square-foot parcel in the B-2 and Marijuana Overlay District. The special permit was required because the lot is in the Water Resource District with impervious coverage above 40%.
• Board member Steve recused himself from the discussion, debate, and vote, citing a family financial interest in the business.
• The applicant stated the project would invest approximately $2-3 million, create 20-30 jobs with benefits including health coverage, a matching 401(k), and housing/down-payment assistance, and that at least 50% of projected sales would be online orders. The traffic study projected zero impact on everyday traffic. No cultivation would occur on site.
• The applicant proposed reducing impervious cover from 70.7% to 66.1%, installing a new Title V septic system, piping roof runoff into an underground infiltration system, and completing landscaping and lighting upgrades.
• Board discussion raised deficiencies in the landscape schedule: shrubs were not listed at the town-required 24-inch minimum, shade trees were specified too generally, and the board asked for a revised plant schedule within two weeks, Gator bags for trees, and notification to planning staff before plant delivery and certificate-of-occupancy application.
• The board closed the public hearing and approved the site plan and special permit with conditions, including the revised landscape plan, the privacy-slat fence, and submission of Cannabis Control Commission licensing documents before occupancy. The vote was unanimous among participating members; Steve did not participate.

SPR/SP 04-2026 - 1360 Route 28A (Atomic Fish / Cataumet fish market)

• Owners Patrick and Jenny Ross requested a special permit to add 11 gravel parking spaces on the side and rear of the existing fish market building to support an approved package store license. No building footprint changes were proposed.
• Mr. Ross explained that the package store license had been approved in January 2023 but held up in appeals, and the select board had required site plan review of parking as a condition.
• The board requested a landscape plan with roughly four shade trees and 33 shrubs, wheel stops on both the paved front lot and the rear gravel lot, screening of dumpsters, parking signage, and careful placement of trees relative to the food trailer maneuvering area. Members also discussed drainage, erosion, and the visual buffer between the market and the adjacent courtyard.
• The public hearing brought no public comments. The board approved the special permit with conditions, including the landscaping and wheel-stop requirements. The vote was unanimous.

SPR/SP 05-2026 - 130 MacArthur Boulevard (Amazon Granite)

• Robert DeWar of Bracken Engineering, joined by owner Ani Braga and contractor Celio De Silva, presented plans to relocate an existing granite countertop business from Clay Pond Road to a 7,700-square-foot building on a 62,800-square-foot parcel. The applicant requested special permits for retail sales over 1,600 square feet, manufacturing, increased impervious surface in the 50-foot MacArthur Boulevard buffer, and removal of eight trees for an outdoor stone display.
• The applicant acknowledged the project was still being revised with the Conservation Commission because the adjacent wetland/vernal pool is fed only by runoff and the site currently has no stormwater management. Proposed improvements included a Title V septic system, roof-runoff infiltration, a tree box filter, treatment and recharge of new impervious areas, and an overflow for large storms while maintaining the vernal pool.
• Board members generally supported the project but asked about drainage, lighting spill, facade colors, and the 50-foot setback policy. The applicant requested a continuance.
• The board voted unanimously to continue the hearing to June 25, 2026.

SP 03-2021B Amendment - 431, 451, 461, and 471 Scenic Highway

• Applicant Adam Flynn, representing Thomas Pappas, sought to amend an approved special permit to add a fourth lot to a shared driveway serving three lots on Scenic Highway. The applicant cited MassDOT's preference for a single curb cut and a traffic study showing minimal added traffic and improved visibility after road construction.
• Board members raised safety concerns at the curved, high-speed section of Scenic Highway, questioned the absence of a MassDOT curb-cut permit in the record, and criticized the fact that a foundation had been installed on the fourth lot before legal access/permitting was resolved. The applicant and owner apologized for the permit mix-up, said it was not intentional, and argued the fourth lot is a legal buildable lot with a right to access.
• The board found the application inconsistent with the special permit criteria and shared-driveway/egress standards. It voted unanimously to deny the amendment, citing pedestrian/vehicular safety concerns at the curve, lack of erosion and stormwater controls, circumvention of subdivision control, missing plan information, and the original permit condition that no further lots be served by the driveway.

Key Outcomes

• Officers elected/re-elected unanimously.
• April 9, 2026 minutes approved with abstentions and one present vote.
• SPR/SP 02-2026 approved unanimously with board member Steve recused.
• SPR/SP 04-2026 approved unanimously.
• SPR/SP 05-2026 continued to June 25, 2026.
• SP 03-2021B amendment denied unanimously.
• The board adjourned after completing the agenda.