Stow Select Board unanimously backs MBTA zoning district, sets October town meeting

STOW — May 27, 2025 — Stow Select Board unanimously endorsed the Planning Board's MBTA Communities Act zoning initiative and set an October 27 special town meeting to put the question before residents. Planning Director Valerie Ortice presented the proposed East Lower Village district — 11 residentially zoned parcels covering roughly 11.7 acres east of Lower Village — which allows duplexes, triplexes, and townhomes up to five units, with a 35-foot height cap and no large apartment buildings. The board voted twice, first supporting the Planning Board's mission statement and then backing the East Lower Village location for state pre-adoption review, a process that can take 90 or more days. Town Administrator Denise (surname not identified in transcript) warned that noncompliance could strip Stow of existing grants, citing a pending million-dollar Lake Boone Dam application that asks directly whether the town is in compliance. The board also approved a common victualer license for Mission Hill Donuts LLC, doing business as Dunkin', at 108 Great Road, pending Board of Health sign-off, and elected Megan Birch-McMichael as chair and J.T. Toole as clerk.