Plymouth Approves 300-Unit 'Friendly' 40B Development
Town Budget Increases by 3.6% for FY26, Maintains Critical Services
PLYMOUTH - December 17 - The Plymouth Select Board unanimously approved a 300-unit 40B housing development by Claremont Companies on Dec. 17. The project, located in Colony Place, includes a $2.75 million water booster station to address existing infrastructure issues in the area.
Bill Lovett of Claremont Companies presented the project, which has been recalibrated from its original plan due to legal challenges. The development will now be built on a single parcel, with an existing detention basin remaining unchanged.
Lee Hartmann, Director of Planning and Development, explained the project's evolution: "They came for a special permit, 55 and older, development through the Zoning Board of Appeals. After probably a year of discussions, negotiations, mitigations, the ZBA granted that special permit for the 55 and older."
However, appeals and litigation led Claremont to pursue a 40B application, which exempts the project from local zoning and provides an expedited process.
The board's approval includes endorsement of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that commits Claremont to constructing a water booster station. Hartmann emphasized the importance of this infrastructure: "The problem is redundancy. And so the way it was explained to me is, in the summertime, during the drought, if there was a fire here, we wouldn't have adequate water supply to put that fire out."
Select Board member Kevin Canty highlighted the benefits of approving the project: "By approving it, the community gets a real benefit from. So that's, I think, a justification for approving it, and I do thank Claremont for working with the town."
The approval grants Plymouth two years of "safe harbor" from unwanted 40B developments, provided a building permit is pulled within a year of the Zoning Board of Appeals' approval.
In other business, Town Manager Derek Brindisi presented the proposed FY26 budget, totaling $325.6 million, a 3.6% increase from the previous year. The budget maintains critical services without layoffs and continues investments in road infrastructure and stabilization funds.
Brindisi outlined the collaborative process with the school department: "We had a very collaborative effort this year with the school committee. I know Select Board Member Canty attended a number of meetings. The school superintendent, our finance team really came together."
The budget allocates new revenues based on a 39% town and 61% school split, reflecting the current apportionment. This approach resulted in $2.8 million for the town side and $5.8 million for the school side to balance their respective budgets.
Key budget highlights include:
- $500,000 contributions to both nuclear and facility stabilization accounts
- Increased general fund contribution to the Capital Road Improvement Plan, rising from $1.5 million to $2.6 million
- Addition of an Assistant Finance Director position for succession planning
- Elimination of lifeguards at Whitehorse Beach, replaced by a beach supervisor position
Brindisi noted the challenges in balancing the budget: "The total budget request on the town side was about $5 million. And as you know, we only had $2.5 million to spend. So we had to cut almost $2.5 million out of this year's budget in order to balance it."
The board also approved two articles for the annual town meeting related to the HERO Act, which aims to increase property tax benefits for veterans. The proposed changes would allow for annual cost of living adjustments and increase the base exemption amount by 50% for qualifying veterans.
Select Board member David Golden presented the articles, stating, "This is a population that has contributed so much to our community and to our state and our country that I think it's worth us giving them a little extra support."
The Select Board is scheduled to ratify the budget on Jan. 7 before sending it to the Advisory Finance Committee.