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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Great Barrington Planning Board Meeting – March 26, 2026

Selectboard & Town Boards — Thursday, March 26, 2026
BodyGreat Barrington, Massachusetts
SessionSelectboard & Town Boards
DateThursday, March 26, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:01:22

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

All right, so we are going to get um tonight's planning board meeting underway.

0:04

Thank you for your patience, everyone.

0:06

Um, this is the Great Barrington Planning Board meeting for Thursday, March 26th.

0:11

This meeting is being um recorded.

0:14

And because our um board is participating in a hybrid fashion tonight, we will um uh do a call to order and the with the roll call and we will also do um roll call voting tonight.

0:29

So um so we'll get underway.

0:31

So we'll start with uh Malcolm online.

0:33

Malcolm here you are here, thank you.

0:36

Pedro?

Speaker 2

0:37

Here

Speaker 1

0:38

Jeremy, Jonathan, Jackie, yes, Brandy here.

0:42

Okay, so we have full board participation.

0:46

Um next item on our agenda are the minutes of March 12th.

0:51

Do we have a motion to approve is amended?

Speaker 3

0:55

So move.

Speaker 1

0:55

Thank you, Jonathan.

Unassigned speaker

0:57

I

Speaker 3

0:57

was like

Speaker 1

0:58

uh we have a second by Pedro.

1:00

Do we have any board discussion?

1:05

Hearing none, we'll go ahead and vote.

1:07

Malcolm.

Speaker 4

1:08

All abstains.

Unassigned speaker

1:10

Okay,

Speaker 1

1:11

um, Pedro?

Speaker 4

1:12

Aye.

Speaker 1

1:13

Jeremy.

1:15

Jonathan?

1:17

Uh

Speaker 5

1:19

we have to vote.

Speaker 1

1:19

Yeah, Brandy.

Speaker 5

1:21

Soon, soon so

Speaker 6

1:25

I'll wallow in this quiet.

Speaker 1

1:33

Great.

1:34

All right, so then our next order of business is um the special permit public hearing for 34 Division Street.

1:42

This is a continuation from our last meeting.

1:45

This is the application for special permit from Brian and Mary.

1:49

Oh, help me with Mark.

Speaker 7

1:50

Marcy.

1:51

Marcy.

Speaker 1

1:52

Marcy, I'm sorry.

1:53

In your last name is Buchelata.

1:55

Thank you.

1:56

To erect a six-foot-tall solid fence in the front yard in an R2 zone at 34 Division Street.

2:02

Um, per sections 4.2.9 and 10.4 of the zoning bylaw.

2:07

As I said, continuation from our March 12th meeting.

2:10

Um, the first item is to vote to reopen the public hearing.

2:13

So uh we'll go same order we did before.

2:16

Malcolm.

2:17

Oh, wait, I'm sorry, I need to

Speaker 2

2:20

make sure jump

Speaker 1

2:20

in.

2:21

We need a motion.

2:22

Jeremy is motion and Jonathan a second.

2:26

Any discussion on the motion?

2:29

All right, sorry.

2:30

Malcolm.

2:31

Still vote aye.

2:33

Thank you.

2:35

Oh, geez, sorry.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation███████████████████████████████████████████43%
Site Plan Review███████████11%
Transportation Safety██████████10%
Complete Streets███████7%
Public Engagement███████7%
Procedural█████5%
Environmental Protection█████5%
Public Safety███3%
Economic Development██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Great Barrington Planning Board Meeting – March 26, 2026

The Great Barrington Planning Board met on Thursday, March 26, 2026, in a hybrid format. All board members were present (Malcolm, Pedro, Jeremy, Jonathan, Jackie, Brandy). The meeting adjourned at 7:07 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes of March 12, 2026: Approved as presented, with one abstention (Malcolm abstained).

Special Permit Public Hearing – 34 Division Street

  • Applicant: Marcy Buchelata requested a special permit to erect a six-foot-tall solid fence in the front yard of 34 Division Street (R2 zone) per Sections 4.2.9 and 10.4 of the zoning bylaw. The hearing was a continuation from March 12.
  • Public Hearing Reopened: The board voted to reopen the hearing to allow the applicant to provide additional information and to allow full board participation.
  • Applicant Statement: Ms. Buchelata stated the fence is for safety due to high-speed traffic (40 mph limit, often exceeded, tractor-trailers, no sidewalks) and to allow her family to safely use the yard. She committed to planting native species in front of the fence.
  • Public Comment: Two neighbors spoke in support: Michelle LeBert (70 Division Street) and Jenada Shields (53 Division Street), citing peace of mind and child safety.
  • Board Discussion: Members expressed varied opinions. Malcolm opposed, citing no benefit to the town/neighborhood, potential precedent, and the fence being for privacy not safety. Jonathan argued the fence could increase traffic speed. Others noted the road's high traffic volume, existing six-foot fences in the area, and that conditioned landscaping would mitigate visual impact.
  • Findings: The board reviewed criteria under Section 10.4, including social/economic needs, traffic safety, neighborhood character, natural environment, and fiscal impact.
  • Vote: The board voted 4-1 to grant the special permit, conditioned upon the installation of native plantings between the fence and the roadway.

Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP) – Working Session

  • Presentation: Seth Jenkins of Berkshire Regional Planning Commission presented the OSRP process. Survey results: 437 respondents, 169 climbers; top activities: hiking/walking 66%, rock climbing 40%. Maps showed municipal, nonprofit, and state conservation lands. Key topics included strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
  • Public Working Session: Attendees split into groups (in-room and online) for discussion. Focus areas included parks, playgrounds, active recreation, and connectivity.
  • Report Back: In-room group highlighted: abundant open space but disconnected; need for better publicity and signage; partnerships with nonprofits (GBLC, BNRC) are vital; opportunities include expanded trails, disc golf, dog park, and pocket parks. Online group added concerns about underutilized spaces, maintenance funding, and climate change impacts.
  • Next Steps: The next OSRP working session will be at the April 23, 2026 Planning Board meeting to review draft goals and objectives. A draft plan will be released in May.

Other Business

  • Citizen Speak: Devin discussed the lack of disc golf facilities in the region and proposed a course for Great Barrington, noting it is low-cost, accessible, and could draw visitors. The board showed interest.
  • Board Updates: A new director for BRPC was noted, and a Community Preservation Coalition meeting on March 31 was announced.

Key Outcomes

  • Special permit granted (4-1) with landscaping condition.
  • OSRP development continues; next meeting April 23, 2026.
  • Meeting adjourned at 7:07 PM.

Meeting Transcript

All right, so we are going to get um tonight's planning board meeting underway. Thank you for your patience, everyone. Um, this is the Great Barrington Planning Board meeting for Thursday, March 26th. This meeting is being um recorded. And because our um board is participating in a hybrid fashion tonight, we will um uh do a call to order and the with the roll call and we will also do um roll call voting tonight. So um so we'll get underway. So we'll start with uh Malcolm online. Malcolm here you are here, thank you. Pedro? Here Jeremy, Jonathan, Jackie, yes, Brandy here. Okay, so we have full board participation. Um next item on our agenda are the minutes of March 12th. Do we have a motion to approve is amended? So move. Thank you, Jonathan. I was like uh we have a second by Pedro. Do we have any board discussion? Hearing none, we'll go ahead and vote. Malcolm. All abstains. Okay, um, Pedro? Aye. Jeremy. Jonathan? Uh we have to vote. Yeah, Brandy. Soon, soon so I'll wallow in this quiet. Great. All right, so then our next order of business is um the special permit public hearing for 34 Division Street. This is a continuation from our last meeting. This is the application for special permit from Brian and Mary. Oh, help me with Mark. Marcy. Marcy. Marcy, I'm sorry. In your last name is Buchelata. Thank you. To erect a six-foot-tall solid fence in the front yard in an R2 zone at 34 Division Street. Um, per sections 4.2.9 and 10.4 of the zoning bylaw. As I said, continuation from our March 12th meeting. Um, the first item is to vote to reopen the public hearing. So uh we'll go same order we did before. Malcolm. Oh, wait, I'm sorry, I need to

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