Board approves Asbury Street driveway change

Planning Board · Meeting of July 21, 2026

Hamilton Planning Board approves a driveway change on scenic Asbury Street, 4-2. Members Jonathan Poore, Darcy Dale, Matt Hamill and Marty Crouch voted to approve homeowners Megan and Tyler Swaim's stone wall and driveway alteration, with Bill Wheaton and a member identified as Emil Dahlquist abstaining over sightline concerns. The approval carries three conditions, including a DPW street-opening permit and board re-review of any future driveway expansion.

Neighbor Tim Whitman said "I hadn't thought of the vegetation as being the limitation there," shifting discussion toward trimming rather than removing the stone wall. Separately, resident Kathy Simons urged the board to study a dark sky lighting bylaw, warning "we can't just willy-nilly light up the sky," and the board agreed informally to add it to the master plan. Members also learned a new state law overhauling the zoning variance standard will likely force a rewrite of Section 5 of Hamilton's zoning bylaw.

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Source: the Planning Board meeting of July 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.