West Newbury Planning Board sends marijuana overlay and parking rules to town meeting

Planning Board · Meeting of March 17, 2026

West Newbury Planning Board unanimously advanced a marijuana overlay district, a parking overhaul, and new slope-protection rules at its March 17 meeting. The board voted 5-0 three times, recommending two zoning bylaw amendments to the spring town meeting and adopting subdivision rule changes on its own authority. The proposed Marijuana Overlay District would cover roughly 12 acres within the existing business zone and set a 250-foot buffer from child care facilities, scaled back from the 500-foot state default because Building Commissioner Sam Jocelyn and board members said a 500-foot buffer would leave no viable locations, a threshold the state attorney general could reject as willful evasion.

A late-meeting comment from Select Board Chair Wendy Reed introduced the possibility of a competing ban on marijuana establishments entirely, with a ballot-question deadline of that Friday; the board voted to proceed with the overlay regardless, calling it essential protection if a ban fails. The revised off-street parking bylaw replaces a 1982 rule that used only the word "adequate," and was amended on the spot to clarify residential exemptions and adjust the assisted-living parking ratio to 0.5 spaces per unit plus one space per employee on the largest shift.

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Source: the Planning Board meeting of March 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.