Hubbardston Planning Board authorizes MRPC commercial study revision, debates sand pit zoning future

HUBBARDSTON — November 5, 2025 — Hubbardston Planning Board advances sand pit overlay study and authorizes commercial district agreement. The board, meeting November 5 with Chair Kristofer Munroe and members Francois Steiger, William Homans, and Alan Carpenter, unanimously authorized Munroe to sign an amended scope-of-work agreement with the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, scaling back the commercial district study to a GIS-based conditions analysis to avoid overwhelming town meeting with simultaneous zoning overhauls. In the meeting's longest segment, board members gave stakeholder feedback to consulting firm Niche on the sand pit overlay district, broadly supporting a mix of multifamily and open-space residential development over single-family checkerboard subdivisions, and agreeing that no gravel or sand extraction should be permitted before a subdivision plan or special permit is in place. Carpenter noted the town is roughly 125 to 150 units short of its affordable housing threshold. The board also welcomed Associate Member Mark Kresge, a former Jaffrey, New Hampshire planning board chair, and received an information-only briefing on a conservation restriction covering more than 30 acres on Gardner Road Cutoff, held by the North County Land Trust, with Select Board approval expected November 17.