Planning Board trims MBTA Communities deck to 12 slides ahead of Town Meeting

SUDBURY -- April 24, 2024, Sudbury Planning Board reshapes MBTA Communities pitch around existing developments. Members spent most of the April 24 meeting redrafting a VHB-prepared PowerPoint for Annual Town Meeting, cutting it from 15 slides to roughly 12 and reframing the lead message that Sudbury is "very close to complying" because of Meadow Walk and Cold Brook Crossing. Chair Stephen Garvin pushed a closing "takeaway" slide stating the zoning "is simply a zoning allowance" and does not waive Title 5, the Wetlands Protection Act or local bylaws; Vice-Chair John Sugrue insisted the deck spell out that "non-compliance with state law will result" in Attorney General action, citing the Milton litigation. Member Anuraj Shah urged putting a multi-year grant headline, roughly $1.3 million annually in state funds at risk, atop the funding slide. The board voted 4-0 to continue Bonny Brook Estates, Lot 2 Brimstone Lane, 631 Boston Post Road and Codger Lane to May 22, and approved the March 13 minutes as amended.