Hanson Planning Board reorganizes, closes Main Street sidewalk hearing ahead of grant deadline

HANSON — June 8, 2026 — Hanson Planning Board reorganizes under new Chair Kevin Cohen and advances Main Street sidewalk project. The board, meeting for the first time since the town election, unanimously elected Kevin Cohen as chair, Robinson as vice chair, and newly seated member Robert Huebner as clerk at the June 8 session. Design consultant Eric Donato of Verdantis updated the board on a pedestrian improvement project along approximately 4,000 linear feet of Main Street from High Street to Elm Street, presenting a rough-order-of-magnitude construction cost estimate of $981,600 and noting the project's current grant funding expires June 30, 2026. The board voted 5-0 to close the public hearing and conditionally approve the 60 percent design plans, with a condition that any final design must return for board review. The board also voted 5-0 to forward a proposal for 32 townhouses and a mixed-use building at 808 West Washington Street to the Zoning Board of Appeals with comments on traffic, water capacity, demolition of an existing vacant structure, and septic, and voted 5-0 to forward an accessory dwelling unit application at 1232 Whitman Street favorably to the ZBA — both applications scheduled for the June 16 ZBA hearing. The town planner reported four One-Stop grant applications totaling $471,680 filed this cycle and confirmed receipt of a $150,000 Shared Streets grant for engineering on the Maquan Street improvement project.