Hamilton Boards Review 3A Zoning Drafts, Eye June Town Meeting Vote

HAMILTON — April 29, 2025 — Hamilton Planning and Select boards reviewed a second draft of 3A-compliant downtown zoning at a joint April 29 remote meeting, with a June 26 special town meeting vote as the target deadline. Consultants Matt and Zoe from UTL walked the boards through proposed amendments covering five town center subdistricts and a new Asbury Street multi-family overlay, collectively designed to meet a state-required minimum of roughly 731 housing units across approximately 49 acres. The boards voted to keep Carriage Lane parcels in the Bay Road Mixed-Use District as drafted, while agreeing that the special-permit trigger for Depot Square redevelopment should be set "much, much lower" than the current 80-foot frontage line to maximize town control over the Crosby's Marketplace site. A proposed sunset clause modeled on Wenham's language — which would automatically void the 3A overlay if state law is overturned — was held for review by town counsel after members raised concerns the Attorney General could strike it, leaving residents with a false sense of protection. Select Board Chair Bill Olson confirmed the town is on a "dual path," pursuing both 3A compliance and legal options similar to Wenham's Essex Superior Court challenge, with a public meeting on the litigation question set for the following Monday. The Planning Board re-elected Marnie Crouch as Chair and Amal Dahlquist as Vice Chair, and authorized the pair to meet informally with Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary representative Merwin Walters, who has presented a seminary-drafted overlay district proposal.