Hubbardston ZBA appoints chair, closes two hearings and directs planner to draft decisions

The Town of Hubbardston Zoning Board of Appeals reorganized at its regularly posted meeting and named a new chair before taking up two advertised public hearings. Board members voted unanimously to appoint the nominated chair and then proceeded with scheduled hearings; later they closed both hearings and directed the town planner to draft written determinations for formal vote at a follow‑up session.

The appointment occurred after a board member nominated themselves for the chair role and another member moved to appoint “Mister Homans” as chairman; the motion passed on a roll‑call vote that included a remote participant. Following the reorganization the new chair read notices that the ZBA proceedings are broadcast and may be held in a hybrid format under the relevant remote‑meeting law.

Why it matters: ZBA chairmanship and procedure affect who runs hearings and how quickly the board can meet statutory deadlines for issuing written decisions. Town staff reminded the board about a 100‑day decision window for one pending application and urged care in issuing a legally conforming written decision.

Board members agreed to close the public hearings rather than vote on final determinations at the meeting. Instead they instructed town planner Alec to draft the findings and the formal decision language and scheduled a reconvened meeting for next week to review and vote on the draft. The board cited the legal importance of exact wording — including the need for registry‑of‑deeds filings in some outcomes — as the rationale for asking the planner to prepare the documents.

The meeting concluded after administrative scheduling and a motion to adjourn. The board posted that it will set and announce a date next week for the reconvened session to review and vote on the planner‑prepared determinations.