Lee Planning Board Meeting Summary - 2026-05-11

The Lee Planning Board met on 2026-05-11 to approve minutes, endorse two Approval Not Required (ANR) plans, prepare for the upcoming Town Meeting, and receive staff updates on a proposed Housatonic Street hotel project, MassDOT parking lots, and state clean-energy permitting rules. No public comment was offered.

Consent Calendar

• Minutes from the April 27, 2026 public hearing, which included discussion of form-based zoning, were approved by motion of Peg, seconded by Dave.
• Correspondence from Lennox was noted, including a notice that McGee Auto Group, the Audi/BMW dealer, purchased Culligan and plans to expand.

Recognition & Farewell

• Peg, attending her last meeting, thanked voters, board colleagues, town staff, and emergency responders for their support over her 10 years on the committee. Members thanked Peg for her service on this board and other town boards.

Discussion Items

• Town Meeting preparation: The board noted that the Town Meeting warrant contains 27 articles, with zoning articles last. Brooke explained that for the Adaptive Reuse Overlay District, the board would need to move to amend the posted town-meeting motion using a written, line-by-line substitute amendment. These changes are technical, such as replacing “any” with “all,” and do not change substance. The board agreed to proceed with this approach at the upcoming Town Meeting.
• ANR endorsement – 765 Fairview Street (Katie Street LLC): The board reviewed a plan to divide off a 20,013-square-foot building lot with 125 feet of frontage, served by sewer and water in an R30 district. The board endorsed the plan.
• ANR endorsement – 730 Pleasant Street (Gordon Bailey): Surveyor Pat McLogan presented a proposal to cut off the back portion of the 730 Pleasant Street lot and deed it to the adjacent 734 Pleasant Street property, owned by Bailey’s wife. The existing house encroaches over the line by 0.4 feet; no new dwellings or lots are created. Peter questioned how a lot with no frontage could be approved, noting that one lot is labeled unbuildable. McLogan explained that the lot is to be combined with lot one and deeds cannot be executed until the plan is approved. Peter said he would vote yes despite finding the situation “messy.” The board endorsed the plan.
• Housatonic Street hotel proposal: The board discussed a submitted application involving a teardown and rebuild described as a Fairfield, part of the Marriott group, which would require a 50-foot height special permit. Staff noted extensive stormwater plans, a split-zoning situation, and that the applicant has not yet submitted plans to the Conservation Commission. Brooke is waiting for town counsel on whether one or multiple special permit applications are required.
• MassDOT parking lot update: Brooke reported that she, Chris, and Britton met with MassDOT about lots across from the outlets and near Big Y and Hearingham Road. All contractor permits are expiring, and equipment must be removed from those lots no later than June 1, 2026. Future uses, including a possible park-and-ride near the bike path, were discussed.
• Clean energy and consolidated permitting: Brooke described a session with Rick Collins, head of clean energy siting at DOER, about the state’s new consolidated permitting process. Towns must designate a local government representative as the single point of contact, all relevant boards must approve unanimously, and if no decision is made within 10 months the application is deemed approved. Members raised concerns that state agencies such as Natural Heritage can take longer than that. Brooke will give a presentation at the next meeting.
• Future zoning work: Brooke proposed consolidating solar, battery energy storage, wind, and other clean-energy uses into one section, moving definitions to the beginning of the zoning bylaws, and updating special-permit thresholds. One member encouraged Brooke to bring back recommendations on when special-permit review kicks in for small solar projects. A special town meeting in September or October was discussed, and a possible moratorium warrant related to battery energy storage was also mentioned.
• Calendar and next steps: June meetings are scheduled for June 8 and June 22, 2026; there is no meeting on May 25 because of Memorial Day. A new board member is expected after the May election. The Housatonic Street public hearing may potentially begin on June 22 or be opened in July, depending on the special-permit determination.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the April 27, 2026 meeting minutes.
• Endorsed the ANR plan for Katie Street LLC at 765 Fairview Street.
• Endorsed the ANR plan for Gordon Bailey at 730 Pleasant Street.
• Agreed to proceed with the Adaptive Reuse Overlay District amendment at the upcoming Town Meeting.
• Directed staff to prepare the clean-energy consolidated permitting presentation and Town Meeting amendment materials.
• Scheduled future meetings for June 8 and June 22, 2026, and set a target of completing the required public hearing in August for the special town meeting.