The Marion Select Board met on December 16 and, along with the public hearing for tree removal reported on last week, granted various Sewer Application Waivers.
At the beginning of the meeting, there was a public hearing for the removal of seven trees for the Marion Shared Use Bike Path’s development. Tree #6 on the list, a black oak, was removed from the list and “spared” as developers found a way to maintain it. Its roots will remain unharmed, per local landscaper Steve Gonsalves. The plan also comes with guarantees by the state that, for every tree removed, two more will be provided, thereby guaranteeing the town 14 new trees. The state is also responsible for all costs in regards to removal.
Following this, the board began a discussion on the ongoing Briggs housing development project off Spring Street. This night’s talk was mainly focused on sewers and tie-ins. There were three main financial parts of the project. Select Board Vice Chair John Hoagland read the sewer project plan before the vote. For the property’s 28 proposed units, there was a $10,000 per-unit cost, totaling $280,000. There’s an additional $300 per bedroom in said units, to add up to $16,800 for 56 bedrooms across all units. There was an additional $88,200 flow charge totaling $385,000.
Along with this total, a capacity study will be conducted for $32,000 for a final total cost of $417,000. Per proposed dwelling unit, the cost would be about $14,892.86. The board agreed to grant a Sewer Application Waiver, as well as the additional study, with two votes, Chair Randy Parker and Vice Chair John Hoagland in favor and member Norm Hills abstaining, pushing the Briggs housing project further along in its long development.
Next was another Sewer Application Waiver request, this time for 340 Converse Road, where the request for a second quote was made by the board.
Following that, discussion moved to the conditional approval of the sewer project for the Toll Brothers Inc. development at 78 Wareham Road. It was initially discussed that Toll Brothers Inc. has not yet finalized their purchase of the property from previous developer Matthew Zuker. The company representative stated that, once they have received all necessary permits and desired guarantees from the town, they will finalize their purchase from Zuker.
Following a presentation, the board voted on the conditional approval of three different permit applications from Toll Brothers Inc. The board voted unanimously, in one vote, for the conditional approval of these three applications. The first was for private sewer extension on site, another for public sewer extension from Route 6, and another for a pump station.
The next meeting of the Marion Select Board will be held after the holiday season on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, in the Marion Police Department, 550 Mill Street.
Marion Select Board
By Sam Bishop