Great Barrington Planning Board Meeting – February 12, 2026

The Great Barrington Planning Board met by Zoom on Thursday, February 12, 2026, because the Town Hall meeting room was not accessible. Board members present were Malcolm Fick, Pedro Pachano, Jonathan Hankin, Jackie Kane, and Brandy Nelson; Jeremy Ega was absent. The board endorsed two Form A plans, acted on two special-permit recommendations to the Zoning Board of Appeals, postponed one hearing, and continued discussions on seasonal communities and the Open Space and Recreation Plan. The meeting adjourned at 6:42 p.m.

Form A – 409 North Plain Road

• Jim Seidel of SK Design Group, for Elizabeth Picoli, presented a revised Form A for a 1.9-acre lot on the west side of North Plain Road/Route 41 in Housatonic, about 209 feet south of Rachel's Way.
• The proposal replaces an earlier .728-acre lot plan from April 2024. The lot is in the R1A district and meets area, width, and setback requirements; the existing garage is 29 feet from the new lot line versus a 20-foot side-yard requirement.
• The board voted to endorse the plan.

Form A – 124 Lake Buell Road

• Mike Parsons presented a Form A to adjust lot lines between Danny and Ann Ronaldi and Josh and Amanda Seal. The Ronaldis will convey the accessory building at the bottom of their driveway to the Seals, with the remaining Ronaldi lot retaining 120 feet of road frontage and 150 feet of lot width in the R2 district; the new property line will be 15 feet from the accessory building.
• The plan states the conveyed parcel is not to be considered a separate building lot. The board endorsed it.
• Pedro Pachano asked about the graphic convention for showing existing lot lines; Parsons explained the current lines must be shown until the deed is recorded.

Minutes

• Minutes of the January 22, 2026, meeting were approved as amended.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Jan Wojik, a neighbor of 263 Long Pond Road, raised concern about the location of her well relative to the proposed septic component and asked that the separation be at least 100 feet. She was told the updated plans show that dimension and said she had no other concerns.
• Vivian, chair of the Agricultural Commission, asked whether the Feb. 26 farm summit invitation could be extended to nearby groups and experts beyond Great Barrington. She stressed the importance of regional and local food sources, noting that 85% of Massachusetts food comes from the Midwest and Pacific Coast. Board members said the meeting is public and broader participation would be valuable, though breakout-group mechanics were still to be determined.

Special Permit Review – 263 Long Pond Road

• Brian Sider of Foresight Land Services presented the application by William and Marla Sherman to expand a pre-existing nonconforming residence on a 32-acre parcel. Because the expansion adds more than 25% to gross floor area, a special permit is required under Sections 5.54 and 10.4.
• The existing 1760s house is 47 feet from the front property line, three feet inside the 50-foot setback. The proposed addition on the north side, a kitchen/screened-porch expansion, and mudroom would not increase the nonconformity. A new barn and guest house are by right. The existing septic system failed; an updated septic plan was submitted to the Board of Health.
• Board members generally saw no issue; Pedro said the 25% threshold unnecessarily brought the application forward. Brandy Nelson recused herself because she was the listing broker when the owners purchased the property.
• The board voted to send a positive recommendation to the ZBA. Note: Nelson stated she would recuse, but the roll call recorded an aye from her.

Special Permit/Site Plan Review – Fairview Hospital, 27 Lewis Avenue / Zero West Street

• The board held a site visit at 4 p.m. and then heard from Vicky Donahue (counsel), Steve Mack (Foresight), Joe LaRoche, and other Fairview/Berkshire Health Systems team members.
• The hospital is a pre-existing nonconforming use in a residential zone. The hospital campus is about 15.5 acres, mostly in R2 with small R1A frontage; the existing hospital is 86,700 square feet. The proposal is an approximately 50,000-square-foot addition (44,000 square feet on two floors plus 6,000 square feet of connectors) housing a new emergency center, imaging/operating facilities, and MRI. Existing hospital space would be renovated into private patient suites and improved support space.
• Parking would increase from 186 existing spaces to 343, exceeding the 320-space zoning requirement. The traffic study by Pear Corporation concluded there would be no increase in traffic because services are being upgraded/relocated rather than expanded, though the MRI use would no longer require travel to Pittsfield.
• The plan includes a new driveway entrance off Lewis Avenue through an adjacent Berkshire Health Systems-owned lot, a reconfigured service entrance, and a West Avenue exit. The applicant said the water loop would improve fire protection.
• Stormwater would be captured from roofs and pavement, treated in pretreatment units and two large underground infiltration chambers; the project is seeking LEED Silver and would retain the 80th-percentile storm event on site. Test pits showed sandy/gravelly soils with no high groundwater.
• Board concerns and requested follow-up: correct mislabeled east/west elevations and add a north arrow; provide lighting details meeting the town bylaw (3,000K or less, dark-sky-compliant; current plan showed 4,000K); verify handicap-parking count; provide more detailed landscaping/screening, especially east of the new parking and visibility from Lewis Avenue; and clarify pedestrian/vehicle circulation and internal wayfinding. The board also discussed the limited sight distance at the West Avenue driveway and asked the applicant to implement traffic-study signage recommendations.
• The board voted to send a positive recommendation to the ZBA, with the applicant to return for final site plan review after the ZBA special permit process. The ZBA hearing is scheduled for March 17.

Public Hearing – 53 Van Dusenville Road

• The applicant requested postponement of the special permit public hearing. Because a vote could not be taken until 6 p.m., the board reordered the agenda and returned to this item after the Fairview discussion.
• After 6 p.m., the board voted to continue the hearing to March 12, 2026, at 6 p.m. at Town Hall.

Seasonal Communities Discussion

• The Select Board is considering placing the seasonal community designation question on the May Annual Town Meeting; comments from boards are due by early March (around March 6). State regulations have been finalized, and communities accepting the designation must bring zoning into compliance within 24 months.
• Board members discussed the main local effects: the affordable housing trust could serve households at a higher AMI threshold, and the residential exemption could rise from the current 35% state limit to 50%. They also discussed the requirement to allow development of substandard lots (not less than a quarter acre) for attainable housing and non-movable tiny houses that must meet building code.
• Pedro Pachano expressed skepticism that income verification and annual reporting requirements would create enough incentive; Malcolm Fick and others noted state law limits eligibility to municipal employees, meaning ambulance and hospital workers would not qualify unless the Legislature changes the statute. School district employees may count.
• The town has requested Berkshire Regional Planning Commission DLTA assistance to help reach compliance if the designation is accepted. The board will continue the discussion and prepare comments for the Select Board.

Open Space and Recreation Plan Discussion

• The Feb. 26 meeting will focus on agriculture, farms, farmers, and food; the March 26 meeting will focus on parks, playgrounds, active recreation, fields, and trails/connectivity. Outreach will include the Agricultural Commission, Parks and Recreation, stakeholders, and social media.
• Brandy Nelson asked about bicycle/pedestrian connectivity, including Housatonic-to-Great Barrington connections; the board agreed this fits under the active recreation/connectivity discussion and could inform future master planning.

Board Updates and Other Topics

• Jackie Kane reported the Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) is not fully staffed and needs to review town signage.
• Pedro Pachano asked the board to consider hosting a presentation on the residential exemption, tied to a citizens' petition and Select Board deliberations; discussion may be scheduled in early March.
• Malcolm Fick flagged new state energy siting regulations, including a consolidated local permitting process required by Sept. 30; the town requested BRPC assistance and will share resources.

Key Outcomes

• Endorsed Form A at 409 North Plain Road.
• Endorsed Form A at 124 Lake Buell Road.
• Approved Jan. 22, 2026 minutes as amended.
• Sent positive special permit recommendation to the ZBA for 263 Long Pond Road.
• Sent positive special permit/site plan recommendation to the ZBA for Fairview Hospital, with follow-up items for final site plan review.
• Postponed 53 Van Dusenville Road hearing to March 12, 2026, at 6 p.m.
• Continued seasonal communities discussion; comments to Select Board planned by early March.
• Scheduled OSRP thematic discussions for Feb. 26 and March 26.
• Adjourned at 6:42 p.m.