Bridgewater Planning Board Votes to Recommend Downtown Zoning Overhaul With Edits

BRIDGEWATER — June 24, 2026 — Bridgewater's Planning Board unanimously recommended a revised downtown zoning ordinance to the Town Council Wednesday, capping building heights at 3.5 stories and requiring 80 percent active commercial use on ground floors in the Central Business District. Chair Patrick Driscoll and Town Planner Shane O'Brien walked both the Planning Board and the Council's Community and Economic Development Committee through the redlined amendment — Ordinance D FY26-014 — in a joint session continued from June 17, ratifying changes that also reduce the minimum ground-floor ceiling height from 20 to 15 feet, add a Main Street front-yard setback requirement matching existing structures, and strip the CBDR district of its exemption from Planning Board site plan review. The board voted 4-0 to recommend the ordinance with edits, directing O'Brien to prepare a clean redlined version with a summary letter before the council's July 14 meeting. Resident Janet Hansen of Pleasant Street urged the board to extend the proposed 30-day project decision window to 45 days, saying, "I don't want to see things rushed through," but the board left the standard at 30 days, citing the existing extension provision.