Great Barrington Planning Board Meeting Summary – December 11, 2025

The Great Barrington Planning Board met on Thursday, December 11, 2025. Present were Pedro Pachano, Jonathan Hankin, Malcolm Fick, Brandy Nelson, and Jeremy, who joined virtually. The board approved amended minutes, postponed a special permit hearing, reviewed Open Space and Recreation Plan survey results, discussed the state seasonal communities program, heard an informational update on Ramsdale Library, and received citizen comments. No Form A applications were filed.

Minutes Approval

• The board voted to approve the October 23, 2025 meeting minutes as amended to correct Claudia Shapiro’s address from 70 to 78. Shapiro asked that the minutes reflect her statement that she did not fill out the Open Space and Recreation Plan survey; the board noted that minutes are not a transcript.
• Vote: 4 in favor (Jonathan, Malcolm, Jeremy, Brandy), 1 abstention (Pedro).

Public Hearing – 53 Van Dusanville Road

• On the applicant’s request, the board voted unanimously to postpone the special permit public hearing to January 8, 2026, at 6 p.m. at Town Hall. The roll call was unanimous: Pedro, Jonathan, Malcolm, Jeremy, and Brandy voted aye.

Open Space and Recreation Plan Discussion

• Seth Jenkins of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC) reviewed survey results and next steps. The survey received 437 responses, more than prior OSRP surveys, but Jenkins cautioned that it is still a fraction of the town and that the rock-climbing community, organized through the Western Mass Climbers Coalition, turned out in large numbers and may have skewed responses.
• Respondent demographics included 55.4% year-round residents, 32.64% visitors, 7.36% people who work in Great Barrington but do not live there, 2.99% seasonal residents, and 1.61% weekend residents.
• Jenkins agreed to run resident/non-resident comparison tables and to consider filtering out visitors or rock climbers so the board could see whether responses were being driven by non-residents.
• Survey highlights discussed included: about 40% of respondents chose East Mountain/state forest as a top-five recreation place; rock climbing was a frequently selected activity; parking and safety were prominent concerns; protecting drinking water ranked as the highest conservation-funding priority; and respondents saw the greatest need for more facilities or programs for teens, people with disabilities, and the elderly.
• Multiple speakers raised pedestrian and cyclist safety issues, including unsafe road conditions on Van Dusanville Road, crosswalk and sidewalk concerns near Guido’s, sidewalk connectivity, and the railroad overpass on the north side of town. Some commenters also described local rock climbing as world-class and a possible economic opportunity.
• The public forum on the OSRP was scheduled for Saturday, January 10, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at the Great Barrington Library; the room was reserved from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Flyers, a slide deck, and Mentimeter polling were planned, and Jenkins said he would send slides for board review around January 2 with comments due by Monday.

Seasonal Communities Discussion

• Planning staff reported that the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities has now designated Great Barrington as eligible to become a seasonal community, a change from the board’s earlier discussion when the town did not appear to qualify.
• The board reviewed tools available to seasonal communities: year-round housing occupancy restrictions, housing preferences for public employees, housing trusts, comprehensive housing needs assessments, larger property tax exemptions for primary residences, and authority to create housing affordable up to 250% of area median income.
• To use these tools, a seasonal community must adopt zoning allowing undersized lots for attainable housing. The state regulations are still being drafted and are expected in January. After a town vote, the town would have 18 months to adopt the required zoning. BRPC and regional partners are preparing model bylaws.
• Planning staff expressed support for attainable housing up to 250% AMI to serve the local workforce caught between income-restricted housing and the high end of the market. No vote was taken; the board agreed to gather more information and consider whether to put the question before town meeting, in consultation with the Select Board and town manager.

Ramsdale Library Informational Update

• Sharon Dray, founder and president of the Great Barrington Library Fund, presented in support of renovating Ramsdale Library. She reported that Great Barrington is currently number one on the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners wait list, although the timing of the award is uncertain because of phased reviews.
• Dray said the fund supports a Community Preservation Committee application for $1.5 million over three to five years, describing it as a reserve that would reduce the town’s share of the renovation. She estimated the town’s obligation could be reduced to as little as 10–15% of project costs if MBLC funding, the CPC grant, and private fundraising are combined.
• She distributed a map showing 75+ supporters and referenced a 17-year timeline of unsuccessful renovation attempts and the 2013 Master Plan’s support for Ramsdale. She urged the Planning Board, as a steward of the Master Plan, to advocate for the project.

Board and Subcommittee Updates

• Jeremy reported that the Community Preservation Committee had met twice to review Step 2 applications, with a third meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025. A meeting to discuss funding for applications is scheduled for Tuesday, January 13, 2026. The Ramsdale Library project is among the applications to be reviewed on December 18.

Public Comments & Testimony

• During the Ramsdale discussion, a public commenter said she is a certified librarian who supports Ramsdale but opposes the project for three reasons: the Historical Commission’s archives currently on the upper floor would be displaced; the project is a blank check in terms of cost; and using Community Preservation Act funds would be a back-door way to fund the town’s share instead of going through the Select Board and Finance Committee. A board member asked whether her view would change if the archives remained; she said yes. The board suggested the grant conditions should be clarified.
• Frederica Siegel of 27 Round Hill Road said that all library books will be evicted during construction and that the MBLC grant can only cover space under library control. The second floor was identified during community engagement as the most important space for public/performance use, so the historical commission’s occupying it is a condition problem, not an intentional attack. She said a climate-controlled basement space could be considered if the Historical Commission raised funds.
• Claudia Shapiro of 78 Plain Road asked Pedro Pachano to email her a nine-page addendum from Sarah Carker about Housatonic committee improvements. She also read a statement she had given to the Select Board on December 1 about her decades-long concerns as an abutter to the Great Barrington Regional Airport, referencing a 2022 land court action and asking the Planning Board directly, 'What is your intention for me and my property?'
• Michelle Le Bear of 70 Division Street said the library and Historical Commission should work as partners, both to preserve local history and to maximize taxpayers’ investment. She also raised concerns about the proposed solar project on Van Dusanville Road, called Housatonic the town’s 'dumping ground,' and asked the board to look critically at the project and not support it.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes of October 23, 2025 approved as amended (4–0–1).
• Special permit public hearing for 53 Van Dusanville Road postponed to January 8, 2026, 6 p.m. (unanimous).
• OSRP public forum scheduled for January 10, 2026, 10:30 a.m. at the Great Barrington Library; BRPC will prepare resident/non-resident data comparisons.
• No Form A applications were received.
• No votes were taken on seasonal communities or Ramsdale Library; both will continue to be discussed.