Whately ZBA Schedules Executive Session as Dollar General Permit Hits Hearing 14

WHATELY -- June 29, 2026, Whately Zoning Board continues Dollar General special permit to July 14, schedules first-ever executive session. The board convened June 29 for its fourteenth continuation of Colleto Development's application for a 9,100-square-foot retail building on Route 116, hearing peer-review findings on both stormwater drainage and traffic before deferring a final decision. Stormwater peer reviewer Bucky Sparkle told the board that additional June 15 soil test pits confirmed groundwater separation of more than four feet, exceeding the applicable standard, though board member Ellie pressed for formal soil logs, which the applicant agreed to submit as a supplemental filing. Traffic peer reviewer Matt of Tighe & Bond said a 16-point review of Bowman's traffic study found only minor corrections that did not alter conclusions, estimating roughly 41 peak-hour round trips with acceptable levels of service, while several board members questioned whether Wednesday-Thursday April counts captured Friday-afternoon congestion near UMass. Town Counsel Michael Dortenzio briefed the board on active Land Court litigation over the town's 1975 driveway-separation bylaw, and applicant's Attorney Hill stipulated on the record that a grant of the special permit would prompt dismissal of that suit with prejudice. A motion to close the public hearing failed for lack of a second; the hearing was continued to Tuesday, July 14, at 6:30 p.m., opening with an executive session on litigation strategy, the board's first, before the public session at 7:00 p.m.