OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Bourne Planning Board Meeting – August 20, 2026

Planning Board — Thursday, August 20, 2026
BodyBourne, Massachusetts
SessionPlanning Board
DateThursday, August 20, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:32:26

Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

I'm actually here.

0:02

Amanda just showed up.

0:04

She's here.

0:05

I know she just texted me to say I'm here.

0:09

It being Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 7 p.m.

0:14

at the Bourne Veterans Moral Community Building.

0:17

We're going to note that this meeting is being recorded for live broadcast and televised replay by Bourne TV.

0:24

If anyone is audio or visual recording, please acknowledge at this time.

0:30

Hearing seeing none.

0:32

Please note that while an option for remote attendance and our participation may be provided as a courtesy.

0:37

The meeting hearing will not be suspended or terminated if technological issues interrupt remote access.

0:43

That's a new one for us.

0:45

All items within the meeting agenda are subject to deliberation and votes.

0:57

Second motion by Chris, second by Jim.

1:00

Any questions or comments?

1:03

We'll take a vote.

1:04

Steve?

1:05

Yes.

1:05

Maybe?

1:06

Yes.

1:07

Yes.

1:07

Yes.

1:08

Yes.

1:08

Yes.

1:09

Rob Chair, yes.

1:10

Thank you, guys.

1:11

Command.

1:11

Oh, Amanda.

1:13

Christine.

1:14

Catherine?

1:17

Catherine disappeared.

1:19

Thank you.

1:21

Okay.

1:23

Next up, approval not required.

1:25

Plan, master of the law, chapter 41, Section 81P, 880, Head of the Bay Road.

1:32

Parcels 6, 7, and 8 to be combined into a single parcel.

1:35

Map 14, parcel 6, 7, and 8.

1:38

Well, good evening for the record, Zachinski Professional Engineer Brecken Engineering.

1:42

This evening on behalf of the applicants.

1:47

This is 880 head of the bay, right near the Plummouth town line.

1:55

I was initially believed based on an old plan.

1:58

I created a lot in 1950.

2:01

That two of the parcels on the front of the property were located in Bourne, and a third parcel was located in Plymouth with a pork chop strip that ran down the head of the Bay Road.

2:12

After we did our site survey, we discovered that the old town line as it was represented on the 1950 survey was off about fifth uh 40 feet.

2:21

So the actual house out there exists in Plymouth and not in Bourne.

2:26

So we've been dealing with the Plymouth Building Department inspectional services up there.

2:30

They've required that we combine the portions that were in Plymouth so that we can uh honor the old zoning with it.

2:38

So as part of that process, we had spoken with Jennifer and the building department, and we're going to combine the three lots that are in Bourne.

2:45

It will be a non-buildable lot, and then the actual deed will reference both parcels both in Bourne and Plymouth as one contiguous puzzle.

2:54

But we have to record a plan in Plymouth, and we figured it was best to just clean up the tax title and everything in Bourne and merge these three portions together.

3:04

Thank you.

3:05

That's uh a new one for me to hear.

3:07

Oh yeah.

3:09

Yeah, well he had to measure uh over 9,000 feet back in 1950 between the two town markers.

3:15

So angles or something you messed up.

3:17

It might be a little ticked off.

3:19

The weather's a little different over the next town.

3:22

Trust me, the applicant wanted to be in Bourne.

3:24

He wasn't happy to pull its tax rates.

3:29

Yeah.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████████████████████████████████████52%
Environmental Protection████████████14%
Water And Wastewater Management██████████12%
Affordable Housing█████████10%
Procedural███████8%
Technology and Innovation███4%
Summary of Proceedings

Bourne Planning Board Meeting – August 20, 2026

The Bourne Planning Board met on August 20, 2026, at the Bourne Veterans Memorial Community Building. The meeting included approvals of three development proposals and a lengthy discussion on potential zoning bylaw amendments. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • The board unanimously approved the meeting agenda and the minutes of the previous meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public offered comments during the public participation periods.

Discussion Items

Approval Not Required (ANR) Plan – 880 Head of the Bay Road

  • Greg Zachinski of Brecken Engineering presented on behalf of the applicant. The plan combines three parcels (Map 14, parcels 6, 7, and 8) into a single non-buildable lot. A survey error of approximately 40 feet revealed the actual house is in Plymouth, necessitating the consolidation. The board approved the ANR plan unanimously.

Site Plan Review/Special Permit Amendment – 790 MacArthur Boulevard

  • Greg Cerny of ResCon Architectural represented the applicant CWB Mac LLC. The proposal amends Special Permit 08-2015A to construct a second boat storage building of approximately 9,980 square feet in the B‑2 district. Changes include relocating a gate, redistributing parking, and adding landscaping. Lighting was discussed to ensure downward‑cutoff fixtures to minimize impact on nearby residences. The board approved the amendment with conditions (e.g., erosion control, as‑built plans).

Site Plan Review/Special Permit Amendment – 18 Foster Howard Road

  • Greg Cerny again presented, this time for Rockville Railing (Rocco Realty 2 LLC). The amendment to Special Permit 10-2018A adds a 1,470‑square‑foot storage building in the B‑2 district. The board reviewed corrected floor area calculations and other details. One condition (future changes requiring board approval) was removed at the applicant’s request. The board approved the amendment with remaining conditions.

Future Zoning Bylaw Amendments

  • Staff (Jen) presented a rolling list of potential bylaw changes. Topics included:
    • Roof‑height allowance for non‑conforming lots (correction to section 2450).
    • State zoning act amendments (Chapter 48) affecting non‑conforming lots.
    • Inclusionary zoning (currently downtown only; possible town‑wide expansion).
    • Use table review (adding clarity and updating approval categories).
    • Lowland regulations (changing the two‑year wait to one year per FEMA).
    • Gross floor area (GFA) definition (excluding porches and sheds from GFA calculation).
    • Setback on MacArthur Boulevard (possible reduction from 50 to 30 feet).
    • Landscaping/lighting (clarifying plant sizes and guarantees; “dark‑sky” lighting standards).
    • Seasonal community designation (tied to tiny‑home bylaws).
    • Battery energy storage systems (clarifying allowance in solar section).
    • Data centers (not currently allowed; board leaned toward not permitting them).
  • Board members raised concerns about water infrastructure, fire‑fighting capacity, and nitrates. They prioritized landscaping and dark‑sky lighting for the Spring 2027 Town Meeting. Lowland regulations and GFA changes were targeted for Fall 2027 or later. Staff will prepare draft language.

Key Outcomes

  • Approval Not Required Plan (880 Head of the Bay Road): Unanimously approved.
  • Site Plan/Special Permit 08-2015B (790 MacArthur Blvd): Unanimously approved with conditions.
  • Site Plan/Special Permit 10-2018B (18 Foster Howard Road): Unanimously approved with conditions (one condition removed).
  • Future Bylaw Amendments: Board directed staff to draft changes on landscaping, dark‑sky lighting, and lowland regulations for upcoming town meetings; other items will be addressed in 2027–2028.

Meeting Transcript

I'm actually here. Amanda just showed up. She's here. I know she just texted me to say I'm here. It being Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the Bourne Veterans Moral Community Building. We're going to note that this meeting is being recorded for live broadcast and televised replay by Bourne TV. If anyone is audio or visual recording, please acknowledge at this time. Hearing seeing none. Please note that while an option for remote attendance and our participation may be provided as a courtesy. The meeting hearing will not be suspended or terminated if technological issues interrupt remote access. That's a new one for us. All items within the meeting agenda are subject to deliberation and votes. Second motion by Chris, second by Jim. Any questions or comments? We'll take a vote. Steve? Yes. Maybe? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Rob Chair, yes. Thank you, guys. Command. Oh, Amanda. Christine. Catherine? Catherine disappeared. Thank you. Okay. Next up, approval not required. Plan, master of the law, chapter 41, Section 81P, 880, Head of the Bay Road. Parcels 6, 7, and 8 to be combined into a single parcel. Map 14, parcel 6, 7, and 8. Well, good evening for the record, Zachinski Professional Engineer Brecken Engineering. This evening on behalf of the applicants. This is 880 head of the bay, right near the Plummouth town line. I was initially believed based on an old plan. I created a lot in 1950. That two of the parcels on the front of the property were located in Bourne, and a third parcel was located in Plymouth with a pork chop strip that ran down the head of the Bay Road. After we did our site survey, we discovered that the old town line as it was represented on the 1950 survey was off about fifth uh 40 feet. So the actual house out there exists in Plymouth and not in Bourne. So we've been dealing with the Plymouth Building Department inspectional services up there. They've required that we combine the portions that were in Plymouth so that we can uh honor the old zoning with it. So as part of that process, we had spoken with Jennifer and the building department, and we're going to combine the three lots that are in Bourne. It will be a non-buildable lot, and then the actual deed will reference both parcels both in Bourne and Plymouth as one contiguous puzzle. But we have to record a plan in Plymouth, and we figured it was best to just clean up the tax title and everything in Bourne and merge these three portions together.

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