Walpole Planning Board Minutes

December 9, 2025

Town Hall

7 pm

Role Call: Board Members: Chair Jeff Miller, Vice-Chair Dennis Marcom, Clerk Jason Perron, Jeff Harrington, Joanna Andros. Absent: Trevor MacLachlan, Select Board Representative Steve Dalessio, alternates Travis Adams and Bill Carmody.

Call to Order: Mr. Miller called the meeting to order at 7 pm.

Review of November 2025 minutes: Mr. Marcom made a motion to approve the minutes as written. Mr. Perron seconded the motion and the motion passed.

Old Business

Public Hearing: Lot Line Adjustment, Jay Landry, 100 Wentworth Road. Town Tax Map 17, Lots 5-2 and 5-4, Residential A. No new lots will be created. Changes to Tax Map 16, Lot 12 .49 acres to be annexed from 5-4; former Lot 5-3 to be annexed to lot 5-4; Lot 5-2 .04 acres to be annexed from Lot 5-4; Lot 5-4 .01 acres to be annexed from Lot 5-2. 

Mr. Landry explained that while the changes are quite small, he and his neighbors have been working on this proposed plan for months. Mr. Worth wanted a driveway that was perpendicular so that was tweaked to .04 acres added to the corner of the lot. Mr. Landry had purchased lot 5-3 but wanted to square off the property in the southeast corner in case he wanted to build a barn on that corner of his property in the future. It is .01 acres. It also will be annexed to Lot 5-4. The road frontage is on Wentworth Road and it more than 200 feet. The property, .49 acres, on Old Keene Road will be annexed to Cynthia Reeves property Tax Map 16, Lot 12 and will remain undeveloped.

Mr. Perron made a motion to approve the Lot Line Adjustments proposed by Mr. Landry. Mr. Harrington seconded the motion and the motion carried unanimously. 

New Business

Site Plan, Ideal Location LLC, owner Greg Gay, 8 Len Tex Lane, North Walpole, Tax Map 27, Lot 8 Sub 1, 268 feet frontage on Main Street, Industrial/Commercial Zone, Existing Use Race car fabrication and vehicle storage. Add 2100 square foot for office space and parts inventory. 

Mr. Gay submitted a plan for office space and parts inventory for his business, which is at the same location. He had already been to and received permission for the project from the North Walpole Commissioners and North Walpole Zoning Board of Adjustment. He explained his proposal to the Board and said he was before the Planning Board for the original proposal for the office space in 2016.

Mr. Perron made a motion to hold a public hearing in January on the matter. Mr. Harrington seconded the motion and the motion carried.

Attached Dwelling Units

At its November 2025 meeting the Planning and Zoning Boards had a joint meeting to discuss recent changes from the state regarding the town’s zoning ordinances and more specifically Accessory Dwelling Units. The Board compared Walpole’s current Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit ordinance with the most recent changes by the state. An email was sent to the town’s counsel, Jeremy Hockensmith, asking what the board was required to do. Mr. Hockensmith suggested 16 revisions to our current ordinance. An example of one of them is, “The Ordinance section should be re titled from ‘DADU’ to ‘ADU’. The statute makes no distinction between attached and detached units, so the ordinance should not either.”

Master Plan 

Mr. Miller gave everyone present a copy of the completed and approved master plan sections printed and placed in a binder by the Southwest Region Planning Commission. One section needs a public hearing. Mr. Harrington made a motion to hold a public hearing for the  Community Facilities and Services section at the January meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Perron and approved by the rest of the board.

Adjournment

Mr. Harrington made a motion to adjourn. Mr. Perron seconded the motion and the motion carried. The time was 8:37 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Marilou Blaine

WPB Recording Secretary

Tagged: Meeting Minutes, PLANNING BOARD