Selectboard Backs Housing RFI for Town Lot

Selectboard · Meeting of August 26, 2026

Whately Selectboard backs state housing RFI for town's DeMaio Lot. The board voted unanimously to let the community development administrator submit a response to an EOHLC request for information proposing the four-acre, floodplain-constrained lot for a manufactured or modular single-family housing pilot, though a consultant says only two to four units may actually be feasible there. Board members also approved a one-day permit for the 16th annual "We'll Bike for Food" charity ride on September 20 and a job posting for a highway department senior operator/laborer.

Officials reported a $30,000 FEMA hazard mitigation grant, a pending $150,000 MassDOT culvert grant request, and a $1,500 landfill-monitoring change order headed to the Finance Committee. "It is an option, and given that the property's been sitting there undeveloped for roughly 20 plus years, it would be nice to do something out of it," one board member said. The board closed by voting unanimously to enter executive session on a personnel matter.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 2,503 words

Source: the Selectboard meeting of August 26, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.