Planning Board

Responsibilities

By virtue of both State Law and City Ordinances, the Woburn Planning Board is charged with a variety of responsibilities including the following:

APPROVAL OF SUBDIVISIONS

The Planning Board is charged with adopting and administering rules and regulations to control and guide the construction of new subdivisions, in accordance with the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 41 Sections 81A-81J inclusive. This includes construction of new roads and residential subdivisions, the division of parcels on existing streets and commercial and industrial developments in which new streets or lot lines are created.

AUTHORITY TO GRANT CERTAIN SPECIAL PERMITS

The Planning Board is also charged with approving special permits for Light Manufacturing uses over 15,000 gross square feet in area in the IP, IP-2, IG, S-2, O-P and OP-93 zoning districts; the Board is also charged with granting special permits for Light Manufacturing uses of less than 15,000 gross square feet in area in the S-2, O-P and OP-93 zoning districts. The review and granting of these special permits are governed by the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40A, Section 9.

REPORTS ON AND SPONSORSHIP OF ZONING AMENDMENTS

The Planning Board is required to conduct public hearings and provide reports to the City Council on all proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance and to the City’s official Zoning Map. It is also authorized to sponsor proposed zoning amendments.

APPROVAL OF CERTAIN WORK ON SCENIC ROADS

Massachusetts law vests the Planning Board with responsibility for overseeing certain work on any road that has been formally designated as a Scenic Road under the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 40 Section 15C. On designated Scenic Roads, the Planning Board must specifically authorize the cutting or removal of any trees or the destruction or tearing down of stone walls within the limits of the right of way.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMUNITY’S MASTER PLAN

Under the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 41 Section 81-D, the Planning Board is responsible for updating the City’s Master Plan approximately once every decade. The Master Plan analyzes recent demographic and development trends and community needs and identifies goals and priorities on a wide range of topics including housing, open space, transportation and economic development.  The Master Plan also includes an implementation plan to guide public policy and directives in that regard.

MGL Chs 40A

Also in accordance with MGL Ch 40A and the Woburn Zoning Ordinance, the Board holds public hearings and makes recommendations on proposed Zoning amendments to the City Council and conducts public hearings as a Special Permit Granting Authority as outlined in the Woburn Zoning Ordinance.

41 Section 81D

The Planning Board is also charged under MGL Ch 41 Section 81D with updating the City’s Master Plan.

85

MGL Ch 85 requires the Board to name all non-public Streets within the City. In addition, the Board also advises the City Council on all developments or land use policy decisions that fall under Council jurisdiction. These include Site Plan Reviews, Special Permits, Zoning Changes, and Street Acceptances. Woburn’ City Ordinances require the Planning Board to appoint a member of its Board or the Planning Director to serve on the Biomedical Oversight Committee (BOC).