HitTrax owner seeks smaller warehouse at 1 Lyman Street; Planning Board continues hearing to March 3
February 17, 2026 | Town of Northborough, Worcester County, Massachusetts
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The owner of a sports‑technology company that operates as HitTrax asked the Northborough Planning Board on Feb. 17 to approve changes to an already‑approved site plan at 1 Lyman Street, citing the company’s need for research‑and‑development and assembly space.
Patrick McCarty of McCarty Companies and owner Mike Don Francesco said the applicant bought the 3.74‑acre property at the corner of Lyman and Bartlett streets (closing Feb. 6) and seeks a smaller building better matched to HitTrax’s needs. McCarty said the revised footprint would be about 16,632 square feet versus the previously approved 20,011 square feet, producing an approximately 4,405‑square‑foot reduction in impervious surface and increasing open space from about 72.3% to 76.7%.
The revised plan also shows changes tied to a wetland re‑delineation: a finger of wetland that expanded since 2021 forced the design to shift closer to Bartlett Street and to reshape the infiltration basin. McCarty said the team matched the previously approved infiltration basin volume while providing greater infiltration capacity at some elevations.
On parking, McCarty said the project would convert 10 previously paved spaces that had been labeled as 'no parking' into active spaces and add additional stalls for a net increase of four spaces compared with the 2021 approval. He and the board discussed truck circulation: the loading dock remains, truck movement is expected to enter from Bartlett and swing toward Lyman for departure, and commercial drivers are subject to prior conditions that direct large vehicles to avoid residential streets.
Neighbors and board members asked about hours of operation, deliveries, truck frequency and lighting. Owner Mike Don Francesco described the business as primarily R&D and manufacturing/sales staging for simulators and sensors, estimating roughly 20–25 employees on site at typical times, deliveries by small carriers daily and LTL freight perhaps weekly. A nearby resident, Anne Beckstrom (152 Bartlett Street), said she welcomed the reduced size and green space increase but expressed concern that truck frequency could be higher than originally expected; McCarty and staff reiterated that conditions from the 2021 decision — including lighting shut‑off times and delivery windows — remain in force.
Staff and applicant noted that conservation and board of health (septic) permitting remain outstanding. The town’s previous conservation agent retired and the new agent needs to review responses to comments; staff said if the new agent lacks civil‑engineering expertise the town may require peer review. To allow the conservation commission and the new agent to review revised materials, the board voted to continue the public hearing for 1 Lyman Street to March 3, 2026 at 6:00 PM. The applicant confirmed attendance at the continued hearing.
Next steps: the applicant will address the outstanding conservation comments, finalize septic filings with the Board of Health, and submit any materials requested by the new conservation agent; staff will circulate revised plans and the board will consider conditions designed to ensure compliance with prior approvals and with any new conservation requirements.
Patrick McCarty of McCarty Companies and owner Mike Don Francesco said the applicant bought the 3.74‑acre property at the corner of Lyman and Bartlett streets (closing Feb. 6) and seeks a smaller building better matched to HitTrax’s needs. McCarty said the revised footprint would be about 16,632 square feet versus the previously approved 20,011 square feet, producing an approximately 4,405‑square‑foot reduction in impervious surface and increasing open space from about 72.3% to 76.7%.
The revised plan also shows changes tied to a wetland re‑delineation: a finger of wetland that expanded since 2021 forced the design to shift closer to Bartlett Street and to reshape the infiltration basin. McCarty said the team matched the previously approved infiltration basin volume while providing greater infiltration capacity at some elevations.
On parking, McCarty said the project would convert 10 previously paved spaces that had been labeled as 'no parking' into active spaces and add additional stalls for a net increase of four spaces compared with the 2021 approval. He and the board discussed truck circulation: the loading dock remains, truck movement is expected to enter from Bartlett and swing toward Lyman for departure, and commercial drivers are subject to prior conditions that direct large vehicles to avoid residential streets.
Neighbors and board members asked about hours of operation, deliveries, truck frequency and lighting. Owner Mike Don Francesco described the business as primarily R&D and manufacturing/sales staging for simulators and sensors, estimating roughly 20–25 employees on site at typical times, deliveries by small carriers daily and LTL freight perhaps weekly. A nearby resident, Anne Beckstrom (152 Bartlett Street), said she welcomed the reduced size and green space increase but expressed concern that truck frequency could be higher than originally expected; McCarty and staff reiterated that conditions from the 2021 decision — including lighting shut‑off times and delivery windows — remain in force.
Staff and applicant noted that conservation and board of health (septic) permitting remain outstanding. The town’s previous conservation agent retired and the new agent needs to review responses to comments; staff said if the new agent lacks civil‑engineering expertise the town may require peer review. To allow the conservation commission and the new agent to review revised materials, the board voted to continue the public hearing for 1 Lyman Street to March 3, 2026 at 6:00 PM. The applicant confirmed attendance at the continued hearing.
Next steps: the applicant will address the outstanding conservation comments, finalize septic filings with the Board of Health, and submit any materials requested by the new conservation agent; staff will circulate revised plans and the board will consider conditions designed to ensure compliance with prior approvals and with any new conservation requirements.
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