The Framingham Planning Board held a public hearing on December 19, 2025, to consider a scenic roadway modification for tree removal at 196 Grant Street, along with other administrative items. The meeting also included a warning about an active email scam targeting permit applicants, a vote to use remaining Millwood funds for a housing plan, and updates on Community Preservation Committee (CPC) projects.
The Framingham Planning Board is comprised of five members. The board reviews the wide range of applications for commercial and residential projects. The mission of the Planning Board is to ensure the projects increase quality of life, contribute to economic development, and are consistent with Framingham's character. The Framingham Planning Board is also responsible for enforcing and revising the zoning bylaws and developing and implementing the city's master plan. The following planning board meeting coverage is brought to you by the government channel, a service of the city of Framingham. Good evening. My name is Ted Cosgrove. I'm the chair of the Framingham Planning Board. This is an open meeting of the Planning Board being conducted in person and remotely. The hour being 7 07. We got a little bit of a late start here. So knowing that this is a uh hybrid meeting, things are being recorded here. So if you're on video conference, please just be aware of that. Um looking at the agenda tonight. Uh we have a very light agenda, just one case, and it is a tree. Uh so I'm gonna just talk for a second about um something that's going on with the city. There is a a scam afoot here, and I want everybody who is a potential applicant of the planning board to be aware of it and and perhaps other boards. Um I read this in last at our last hearing. I'm gonna read this again, and then I'm gonna ask the current applicant who's sitting in the audience tonight just to speak very briefly about his experience and what he received, because it is it it's shocking. Uh the city of Framingham is warning residents, contractors, and local businesses about an active email scam involving fraudulent requests for payment related to municipal permits. The individuals sending these scam emails are using information that is publicly accessible on the city's public meeting portal where agendas and permit-related documentation are posted in accordance with state open meeting laws. All city resources and systems remain secure. The city of Framingham will never request wire transfers or online payments through unfamiliar links or unofficial communication methods. All legitimate city communications come from email addresses ending in at Framingham Mass.gov. Framingham.gov. And all payments for permits must be made directly through the city's official website or in person at City Hall. So that is the statement I read last month. Uh our applicant this evening uh received just such uh a s an email, a scam, frankly, and it was in my name, which uh is not something I take lightly. Uh but Mr. Fabry has given us some documents, and if you would come up to the mic, Mr. Fabry. Um this is really advisory for for other residents in the city. Um it it is shocking. It will be presented to the police. Uh what Mr. Fabries received. I look at it and it has an air of authenticity. It's signed by me, is not signed, but it's uh identified by me in the email as the chair. It speaks to the applicant and the matters uh presented to us, and uh it requests or or identifies a payment in order to receive the permit that the applicant is has requested. Uh Mr. Fabry, uh, thank you very much for being willing to speak. If you could just share a little bit what you received and well, this morning uh right after breakfast, I opened up my emails, and this was in in my email bucket, and it it it told me that I needed to spend a total of four thousand nine hundred dollars to um come and speak to you today. That's the way I looked at it and looked very official. Two pages. I immediately uh replied to the planning board here that I'm sorry, I'm not gonna be coming to the meeting tonight. That's what you know it it cost that much money. I just didn't realize I knew there was a fee, and I heard the fee was weighed for me. I don't know what that fee was, but um I looked at that and said, wow, I can't believe that this didn't. Um sure wasn't happy about it. I tell you that.