Planning Board

Mission Statement

The roles of the Upton Planning Board are informed by Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 41, Section 81A. The Planning Board is tasked with the following duties, which are outlined in the Mass. General Laws and the Upton Zoning and General Bylaws:

1. Adopting a Master Plan for the Town. The current Master Plan was adopted in 2005.

2. Acting as the local authority for the Subdivision Control Law; adopting Rules and Regulations governing the subdivision of the land in the Town of Upton; assessing all preliminary and definitive plan submittals and endorsing approval-not-required plans. 

3. Drafting and submitting zoning amendments for consideration by the Town. When a zoning amendment has been put forward, the Planning Board holds a public hearing in which their recommendation is then reported for recommendation to the Town Meeting for further review.

4. Acting as the Special Permit Granting Authority (SPGA) when designated as such. The Planning Board is charged with issuing the following Special Permits under the Upton Zoning Bylaw: Senior Housing Communities, Open Space Preservation, Subdivisions, Personal Wireless Services Facilities, and large-scale ground mounted solar photovoltaic installations.

5. Acting as the Site Plan Review authority for non-residential Site Plans. 

6. Conducting studies, and when necessary, preparing plans of the resources, possibilities and needs of the Town for submittal to the for their consideration.

Planning Board staff also serve on the following other Boards and Committees: Capital Budget

Committee, CMRPC, and CPC.

The Planning Board members and staff services are provided by the Department of Land Use and

Inspectional Services.

Members

Tom Davidson, Chair - term ends 2030
Kenneth Raye, Vice Chair - term ends 2028
Bill Taylor, Treasurer- term ends 2029
Katherine Robertson, Clerk - term ends 2026
Margaret Carroll, Member- term ends 2027
Eric Gemperline, Associate Member - term ends 2027