Concord Planning Board Sends Six Zoning Articles to Annual Town Meeting

CONCORD — March 16, 2026 — Concord Planning Board unanimously advances six zoning articles to the 2026 Annual Town Meeting. Chair Rob Almeida led the board through roll-call votes on Articles 32 through 38, covering exterior lighting, MBTA Communities zoning, a mixed-use bylaw, a wireless telecommunications bylaw, a joint parking bylaw, and a combined article renaming the building inspector to building commissioner — all recommended as printed in the warrant. The wireless and joint parking articles drew the most pre-town-meeting preparation, with staff developing a FAQ, GIS setback maps, and parking-demand visualizations to address confusion from the public hearing; board member Abby Flanagan said improvements to the presentation should "head off some of the more salient concerns." The board also released three units at 430 Old Bedford Road from a restrictive covenant, retaining a hold on 16 Hatch Farm Lane sufficient to cover $8,269.90 in remaining drainage and inspection work. Town Planner Elizabeth reported that Congresswoman Lori Trahan accepted a town request for $1 million in federal funding toward the roughly $19 million Assabet River multi-use bridge and trail, which scored 59.9 in the regional Transportation Improvement Program evaluation.