Freetown Board of Selectmen Defers MBTA Zoning Vote, Eyes Special Town Meeting

FREETOWN -- August 4, 2025, Freetown Board of Selectmen hears MBTA Communities Act compliance presentation, defers vote as January deadline looms. In a joint session with the Planning Board, the board heard from Will Ratigan of the Citizens Housing and Planning Association, who outlined that Freetown must designate at least 50 acres for multifamily housing at up to 15 units per acre, with 10 acres required near the commuter rail station and the remaining 40 acres distributable across town in five-acre parcels. The town missed the July 14, 2025 state deadline and is currently ineligible for 17 state grant programs; the Attorney General has pledged no enforcement action before January 1, 2026. Board of Selectmen member Jared Lopes acknowledged two prior failed town meeting votes and said the board would pursue a special town meeting with additional public outreach and technical assistance from CHAPA and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. The board took no vote on compliance strategy. In other business, the board unanimously approved a $37,410 change order with Riverhawk Environmental for landfill post-closure monitoring, approved a package store license transfer from Neon Beverage LLC to Cumberland Farms of Massachusetts Incorporated, and approved Council of Aging parking lot upgrades projected to add more than 60 spaces to the multi-use Chase Road site.