Planning Board Clears MBTA Zoning Draft for State Review, Approves Carnival Permit

NORTH ATTLEBORO — August 1, 2024 — North Attleborough Planning Board reaches consensus on MBTA housing zoning draft, authorizing state submission. The three-member quorum of Chair Greg Walsh, Marie Corner, and Bill Blaise agreed Thursday to treat a revised draft bylaw as final, directing Town Planner Gil Hilario to submit it to the state for pre-application review — a step required before a public hearing can be scheduled. The draft creates two Route 1 multifamily overlay sub-districts at densities of 22 and 29 units per acre, with a five-story building height cap and a 30-foot front yard setback. A mapping question over a parcel swap in the Route 1 North district — removing a self-storage site and substituting a mobile home park at 633 East Washington Street to shed a state-flagged undevelopable "blob" — was left for Hilario to verify and resolve before transmission. The board also voted 3-0 to approve a Fiesta Carnival permit at Emerald Square Mall's south parking lot for September 5 through September 15.