Hanson Planning Board adopts stormwater rules, closes two public hearings in unanimous votes

HANSON -- April 27, 2026, Hanson Planning Board unanimously adopts stormwater regulations and closes two public hearings. The board voted 5-0 on every item at its April 27 meeting, formally adopting implementing regulations under General Bylaw Article 3-21 that include a new prohibition, added by Town Planner Tom Fletcher, barring construction-related stormwater discharge onto abutting properties, and a requirement that private drainage maintenance obligations be recorded in property deeds in perpetuity. Permit fees are set at $500 for single-family projects and $1,000 for commercial ones. The board also closed a hearing on the working-plan-stage High Street Park project, which still requires Town Meeting approval and grant funding before it can advance, and approved three Approval Not Required lot-line adjustment plans for properties on Spring Street, Sandy Lane, and Woodland Street. Fletcher warned the board that under new state Department of Energy Resources regulations (225 CMR), Hanson must begin accepting small green energy facility permit applications by October 1, 2026, with no state model bylaw language expected before that deadline, and said he used an artificial intelligence tool to generate a draft starting point for Town Counsel's review.