Bridgewater Planning Board Continues South Street Subdivision Hearing to June 17

BRIDGEWATER -- June 3, 2026, Bridgewater Planning Board defers vote on contested four-lot South Street subdivision, demands full draft decision letter first. The board, meeting June 3 via Zoom under Chair Patrick Driscoll, voted unanimously to continue the 548 South Street public hearing to June 17 after withdrawing an earlier motion to close it, with Vice Chair Michael McDonald arguing the board "gains little" by cutting off public comment before reviewing conditions. Town Planner Shane O'Brien will draft language covering entrance radii, tree protection easements, HOA recording requirements, and nitrogen loading deed restrictions before any vote is taken. In other action, the board unanimously accepted a $36,993.53 surety bond for Old Stable Estates on Fontana Way and voted to release two lots upon receipt; confirmed that Sprague's Place subdivision approval runs through July 10, 2027, under the state's most recent permit extension act; and continued a minor drainage modification request for 680 Bedford Street, involving a pipe cap on a crush-stone swale, to June 17 pending a recorded easement protecting the system after a change in property ownership. The board also unanimously voted to support the town's 2026–2036 Open Space and Recreation Plan update, which keeps Bridgewater eligible for EEA trail and recreational field grants at no cost to the town.