Natick Planning Board Continues 219-Unit West Natick Mixed-Use Hearing to July 29

NATICK — July 1, 2026 — Natick Planning Board advances 219-unit West Natick mixed-use project, continues hearing to July 29. The board voted unanimously Wednesday to continue the public hearing for 273 West Central Street (PB-26-3), a five-story Gables Residential development with 219 apartments and approximately 4,000 square feet of non-residential space, after the applicant team presented updated architectural, landscape, traffic, and pedestrian access plans developed over four months of engagement with the Design Review Board, Conservation Commission, and MBTA. Board member Alan Cullier said he would "100% insist" on a full-frontage sidewalk along the project's West Central Street face regardless of where a shared-use path ultimately lands, and called for signalized pedestrian crossings at the project driveway and on the western leg of the Route 135 intersection. Applicant representative Jamie Fay of Fort Point Associates described the proposed non-residential space as being explored as a combination of co-working facilities, a grab-and-go market, and a potential partnership with the Morse Institute Library, with applicant Jorgen Punda of Gables Residential warning that leaving the space vacant or as "a podiatrist or a nail salon" would be "the worst thing that could happen." The board also voted unanimously to reconfirm member Terry Evans as its representative to the Open Space Advisory Committee, and staff confirmed that draft Fall Annual Town Meeting zoning articles — focused on a use regulation schedule cleanup and a long-overdue parking regulation overhaul — will be ready for the July 29 meeting.