Select Board narrows firearms bylaw to Industrial District with 250-foot setback

SUDBURY -- January 9, 2024, Sudbury Select Board narrows draft firearms bylaw to a single zoning district pending fifth-member vote. Working from a parcel analysis by Planning Director Adam Burney, the board on Tuesday signaled support for prohibiting firearms businesses in nine of 10 zoning districts and allowing them by special permit only in the Industrial District with a 250-foot setback from sensitive uses, leaving roughly five eligible parcels near the Wayland line. Member Charles G. Russo, who proposed the framework, called the special permit requirement "the key thing here," noting the current bylaw "restricts the sales of guns just as much as it restricts the sale of baby clothes." Town Counsel Lee Smith said the approach did not raise immediate legal concerns but warned "the town can be sued at any time for any reason." Town Manager Andy Sheehan also reported Sudbury will receive $412,543 in Fair Share Act transportation funds, a 56 percent supplement to its $727,000 Chapter 90 allotment, while a $125,000 Go Sudbury state earmark was cut in half under the governor's 9C reductions.