Hamilton Select Board schedules emergency Zoom meeting to finalize 3A zoning warrant

HAMILTON -- June 2, 2025, Hamilton Select Board sets June 10 Zoom session to finalize MBTA Communities zoning warrant ahead of June 26 special town meeting. The four-member board, meeting without Chair Bill Olson, heard from KP Law town counsel Robin Stein that the proposed form-based zoning code would be divided into two warrant articles, one requiring a simple majority and one requiring a two-thirds vote, to comply with General Law Chapter 40A, Section 5. Finance Committee Chair John McGrath presented preliminary fiscal ranges, estimating that 700 new housing units could generate up to $5.5 million in annual property tax revenue while school costs alone could quickly surpass that figure. Planning Board members raised unresolved concerns about nonconforming-use standards for existing businesses in the new zoning districts, with member Emil Darquist calling the issue "the single most important thing" the planning board will face. The board also received a revised $627,000 cell tower lease buyout offer from Tower Alliance, down from $675,000, but took no vote on it, with member Bill Wilson saying he would not recommend accepting anything below the original offer.