Great Barrington Select Board and Planning Board Joint Meeting — June 1, 2026

The Great Barrington Select Board met at 6 p.m. on June 1, 2026, jointly with the Planning Board for discussions on seasonal communities and strategic priorities. The Select Board also held a liquor license public hearing, discussed the tax status of the Simon's Rock campus, set a special town meeting, and heard public comment.

Announcements and Reports

• The Select Board chair announced a special town meeting for Monday, June 29, 2026. He said he did not expect to support the citizens' petition but welcomed the opportunity to discuss where the town stands after the override and what is needed next.
• Other announcements included the June 13 Party in the Park in Housatonic; a Berkshire Environmental Action Team community dinner about the future of Old Maids Park on Thursday, June 18, 6-8 p.m. at the Unitarian Church, 1089 Main Street, Housatonic; and Relay for Life on June 27, 12-9 p.m., at Monument Mountain.
• The town manager gave no report.

Public Hearing — Air Hospitality LLC / The Well

• The Select Board opened a public hearing on an application by Air Hospitality LLC for amendments to the all-alcohol beverages on-premises liquor license held at 312 Main Street, Suite 1, Great Barrington, known as The Well.
• One Select Board member recused from the hearing and vote, citing a financial relationship between their employer and a business run by the applicants.
• Attorney Kathleen McCorman represented Air Hospitality LLC. She said the business has had a successful launch since the current ownership group purchased it about a year ago and that the ownership structure had changed. The requested changes were to make Emily Thompson the license manager, update LLC officers, directors, and managers, and change ownership percentages.
• Under the proposed ownership structure, Lisa Ake would hold 45%, Emily Thompson would hold 45%, and Josh Irwin would hold 10%. Emily Irwin and Nick Rhodes were departing. Emily Thompson has been a bartender at The Well since 2016 and would be present at least 35 hours per week. No changes to hours or operations were proposed.
• No public comment was offered. The board closed the hearing and approved the change of manager, LLC officers/directors/managers, and ownership interests after a roll call vote, with the recusal noted.

Joint Meeting: Seasonal Communities Designation

• Town staff explained that the seasonal communities designation will require zoning amendments, including changes related to attainable housing on underutilized lots and allowing tiny houses as year-round housing units. The designation carries a two-year window for zoning compliance.
• Staff said funding may become available through a state Notice of Funding Availability, and the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission can provide technical assistance. There is no immediate deadline to apply.
• The boards discussed creating a new year-round housing trust, either town-only or regional. Staff noted that a new trust must be established by town meeting and is legally separate from the existing affordable housing trust, even if the same people serve on it.
• Members discussed whether neighboring Berkshire communities are also eligible for seasonal communities designation, whether a regional trust makes sense, and whether to bring the matter to the next annual town meeting in May 2027. The Planning Board indicated it could be ready for that timeline.
• Under state law, year-round housing restrictions can include a preference for essential municipal employees, such as police, fire, and school district staff. Nonprofit employees are not currently included. Staff said the nonprofit-employee question could be raised with state legislators.

Joint Meeting: Strategic Priority Discussion

• The boards reviewed the adopted strategic priorities, with staff highlighting areas of overlap between the Select Board and Planning Board.
• Complete Streets and sidewalks: The 2017/2018 Complete Streets plan was identified for an update. The Planning Board agreed to take it up. Members also discussed the cost of town sidewalk plowing, the absence of a bylaw requiring property owners to clear sidewalks, and the need to consider street trees in any sidewalk policy.
• 5G technology: The town currently has no local bylaw regulating 5G antennas in public rights-of-way. A board member offered draft regulations from Barnstable as a model, and members discussed a possible general bylaw or special-permit approach.
• Traffic calming: East Street, South Main Street, and connecting roads were highlighted as problem corridors. Board members and residents described speeding, stop-sign violations, and safety concerns. Suggested tools included speed humps, raised crosswalks, intersection narrowing, and enforcement. Some members noted plow and equipment concerns with speed humps. Staff was asked to return with recommendations. A South Main Street crosswalk improvement is already in the capital improvement plan, and a Berkshire Regional Planning Commission pilot study may be possible.
• Child care: The child care committee is still in a fact-finding phase and was delayed by cold and flu season, which affected quorum. It is expected to bring information to the Select Board soon.
• Housing and development process: Members spoke in favor of more joint meetings between the Select Board, Planning Board, affordable housing trust, and other committees to streamline review and avoid siloed decision-making. Discussion covered by-right versus special-permit development, community buy-in, cluster development, workforce housing, and redevelopment opportunities.
• Simon's Rock / MassDevelopment: Staff has had initial conversations about a MassDevelopment/ULI-style visioning exercise for the Simon's Rock campus to help identify what the community would like to see there before a developer comes forward.
• Former dry cleaner site: Staff reported that contaminated soil was removed last fall and that additional testing results are being assembled under an EPA grant. The cleanup is expensive and strictly regulated, and the site is not yet positioned for redevelopment.
• Open Space and Recreation Plan: The plan is in final review, with the Planning Board scheduled to see it on June 11 and the Select Board on June 15. It will help position the town for grants.
• Economic development: Members discussed advancing the Cook's Garage/426 Park Street redevelopment discussion, simplifying the sign bylaw, and possibly giving the Design Advisory Committee enforcement authority over signs. Staff noted enforcement capacity is a limiting factor.
• Parking: Members discussed paid parking, enforcement technology, employee and resident permits, downtown livability, and revenue potential. Some members were skeptical that paid parking would be net revenue-positive. Staff noted that a new parking study and enforcement planning would be needed before implementation.
• Hotel room limit: A Select Board member proposed reassessing the 45-room hotel limit, noting that new hotels today are often built at 60-80 rooms to pencil out financially. The cap dates to about 2008 and was intended to protect local bed-and-breakfasts from chain hotels. The boards agreed to gather hospitality-industry input and consider an assessment.
• Master plan: The 2013 Master Plan is outdated, and phase-one funding failed at the last annual town meeting. Members supported pursuing grant funding for a community-based master plan update.

Simon's Rock Tax Status Discussion

• Assessor staff said the property record cards for the Simon's Rock campus are outdated and inaccurate. The campus is split across multiple lots, buildings are not assigned to the correct lots, and the cards would need substantial work before the town could confidently defend an assessment.
• Placing unused parcels on the tax roll for fiscal year 2027 would require completing that work before July 1, which assessor staff said is not feasible in the available time. If the town acted and an appeal succeeded, the town could be required to refund approximately $685,000.
• A board member proposed sending a letter to Bard/Simon's Rock before the end of June to preserve the fiscal year 2027 option, with assessment details to follow. The motion was amended to say the town views the property as eligible for taxation at some point during fiscal year 2027, with details to follow. The motion was approved.

Public Comment

• A resident named John said the process used to handle his March 17 complaint was extremely flawed, unfair, and, in his view, violated at least one or two town bylaws, basic courtesy, and elementary logic. He said he had sent a letter to the board and said he would not disappear, but he did not want a back-and-forth at that meeting.
• James Garden urged town-wide traffic calming, citing Division Street and Route 41 collisions and the coming Prosperity Way development. He supported better coordination between committees and more enforcement of existing project conditions. He also supported placing Simon's Rock on the tax rolls, citing prior fairgrounds litigation, and said he was still waiting for prior promises to be kept, including possible loss of tax benefits if promises were not honored.
• Another resident described out-of-control speeding on Division Street, including a near rear-end collision. She said cars from New York State use Division Street, that mechanical bridge-open signs are still up even though the bridge has been open for weeks, and that the other side of the Division Street Bridge shows a noticeable dip and cracking that should be monitored.

Key Outcomes

• The Select Board approved the Air Hospitality LLC liquor license amendments after a roll call vote, with one recusal.
• The Select Board set the special town meeting for Monday, June 29, 2026, at 6 p.m. at Monument Mountain Regional High School. The citizen petition filing window is June 2 at 8:30 a.m. through June 5 at 4 p.m. The warrant must be posted by June 12. A joint Select Board and Finance Committee warrant review is scheduled for June 9 at 6 p.m.
• The Select Board approved a motion directing the town manager and assessor to draft a letter to Bard/Simon's Rock stating that the town views the property as eligible for taxation at some point during fiscal year 2027, with details to follow.
• The Select Board confirmed Malcolm Fix as an alternate to the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.
• The boards agreed to continue work on seasonal communities zoning and a possible year-round housing trust, with Berkshire Regional Planning Commission support and a target of the next annual town meeting.
• No formal votes were taken on the strategic priority discussion, but the Planning Board agreed to take up the Complete Streets plan update, and staff was asked to bring back options on traffic calming, 5G regulations, signage, parking, and other identified priorities.