West Newbury Select Board Refers Road Acceptance and MBTA Zoning to Planning Board

WEST NEWBURY -- September 11, 2025, West Newbury Select Board unanimously advances Major Boyd Drive road acceptance and MBTA zoning bylaw toward special town meeting. At its September 11 meeting, the board voted twice without dissent, first to refer the developer's petition to accept Major Boyd Drive as a public way to the Planning Board for review and recommendation, and second to send a revised draft MBTA Communities zoning bylaw and proposed district location to the Planning Board for a public hearing set to open October 7. Town Planner Chris Riley and a senior town official identified as Hank presented both items. The road acceptance, a prerequisite for the town to fund snow removal and maintenance on the subdivision street, requires third-party engineer Meridian Engineering to confirm the road was built to plan before the Planning Board can issue its report. The MBTA bylaw, revised after an afternoon session with Town Counsel and Metropolitan Area Planning Council representative Ian Burns, strips out prior mixed-use language and adds a frontage easement provision; it will also be sent to the state Housing and Livability Council for expedited review. Both items are slated for the fall special town meeting warrant.