Members approved a subdivision, a warehouse expansion, and rejected buying landlocked woods, but the real fight was over Beacon Hill telling them how to run their own board
By John Barrella
CARVER — The Planning Board moved briskly through a five-item agenda Tuesday night, approving a lot-line reconfiguration tied to A.D. Makepeace Co. land, signing off on site plan changes for an industrial building on Ricketts Pond Drive, and voting to recommend against a town purchase of landlocked forest off Wareham Street. Members also agreed to hold off exercising the state’s new consolidated permitting process for solar projects until it becomes mandatory Oct. 1 — while making clear they aren’t happy about being required to use it at all.
Makepeace lot line reconfiguration approved
At the applicant’s request, the board took up its ANR (Approval Not Required) plan first, ahead of a minor modification also on the agenda.
Brad Lamont, an engineer with Merrill Engineers and Land Surveyors, presented the plan on behalf of A.D. Makepeace Co. “What we have before you today is an ANR plan — a lot line reconfiguration between Map 57, Lot 2A and Map 57, Lot 2B,” Lamont said, explaining that the company is proposing to redivide Lot 2A into two parcels, with the smaller piece added to Lot 2B, an existing horse farm.
Sean Lewis, the Town Planner after reviewing the filing for the board described the land as part of a cranberry bog operation being absorbed into the horse farm, and said the fire department had emailed its support. “In my opinion, it’s a good ANR,” Lewis said; noting the newly created lot would not be independently buildable unless combined with the adjoining parcel.
The board voted unanimously, 5-0, to approve the plan.
Ricketts Pond Drive access drive widened
The board then turned to a minor site plan modification for Ricketts Pond Drive LLC at 3 Ricketts Pond Drive, an existing commercial building in Carver’s industrial park. One board member recused from the matter before discussion began.
Eric Shoemaker, a civil engineer with McKenzie Engineering Group, presented on behalf of applicant Mike Pacini. The project widens a rear one-way access drive from 12 feet to 27 feet to ease turning movements into the parking area — a change Shoemaker said would also help fire apparatus access. “This change results in 1,355 square feet of additional impervious surface,” Shoemaker said, adding that existing catch basins on site could handle the added runoff.
To avoid triggering Conservation Commission review within the property’s 100-foot wetland buffer, Shoemaker said the applicant opted to add landscaping rather than expand pavement into the buffer, and proposed removing a white vinyl perimeter fence that runs close to the widened drive. “Our goal with this project — both the minor modification and the original site plan — was to avoid any sort of disturbance in the 100-foot buffer zone,” he said. Fencing around the two dumpster pads will remain.
Board members were largely complimentary. The Town Planner, Sean Lewis called the revised landscaping plan “fantastic” and said the fire department was “much more happy with this plan,” relaying that Fire Department personnel had told staff the wider drive would keep trucks from running over the curbing near the dumpster area, as currently happens.
After board discussion narrowed the applicant’s proposed 6-foot buffer between new plantings and the pavement to a suggested 9 to 10 feet, Shoemaker agreed: “I think that’s a great suggestion.” The board also granted a waiver from depicting trees of 10-inch caliper or greater on the landscape plan.
The board voted to approve the modification, including the impervious-surface waiver, with one member having recused.
Board rejects purchase of landlocked 61A parcel
Members then considered a request from A.D. Makepeace for a waiver of the town’s right of first refusal under Chapter 61A on forest land at 0 Wareham Street (Map 134, Lots 4-3 and 4-2A) — triggered because the company needs to lease the land for a previously approved solar field.
Staff reviewing the request for the board described the parcel as landlocked forest bisected by a river, inaccessible without trespassing on neighboring land, and noted the Conservation Commission had already voted not to recommend that the Select Board purchase it. Board members agreed.The board voted unanimously to recommend against the town exercising its purchase option.
Board balks at early adoption of state’s solar permitting mandate
The board also revisited a pending clean-energy consolidated permitting process, a state-driven framework covering solar and battery storage projects that becomes mandatory Oct. 1. Staff reported back on the fee structure, telling the board that a single consolidated application would still be billed at the combined rate of every department that would otherwise review a project separately, with the town dividing the collected fee among departments.
An applicant proposing two floating solar arrays could be ready to file within the next month, staff said, and had expressed interest in being the town’s first project through the new process. But several board members pushed back on adopting it ahead of the state’s deadline, framing the vote as a protest against a mandate they said strips local boards of independent review and appeal authority. “It’s not against the person that’s applying for it,” Board member Kevin Robinson said. “It’s our way of telling the state, look, we’re not okay with the fact that you’re telling us again what to do with our town.”
The board voted unanimously to hold off adopting the consolidated process until it takes effect by state mandate on Oct. 1.
Minutes and other business
The board could not act on minutes from a May 12 meeting, which staff said were not yet complete. Minutes from June 23 were approved as revised, with corrections adding detail on which members recused or abstained from a prior 4-0-1 vote to release a performance bond, and correcting a resident’s listed role from “contractor” to “property owner.” Minutes from July 28 were approved as amended after a correction to one member’s attendance record; that member abstained from the vote since he had been absent from the meeting in question.
In staff updates, the town planner said work is underway revising the town’s 2019 consolidated permitting booklet for the proposed North Carver Water District/Green Business Park area, tied to recent developments after the North Carver Water District was formally dissolved by state legislation, with its property now under the jurisdiction of the Carver Select Board. One board member gave notice of an absence from the board’s Aug. 25 meeting.
The meeting adjourned after roughly 40 minutes.
THE VOTES
- ANR plan, A.D. Makepeace Co. lot line reconfiguration (Map 57, Lots 2A/2B): Approved, 5-0
- Minor site plan modification, Ricketts Pond Drive LLC (3 Ricketts Pond Drive), including 1,355-sq.-ft. impervious surface waiver and 10-inch caliper tree waiver: Approved, one member recused Mary Ellen Williams
- Recommendation against town purchase of 61A land, 0 Wareham Street (Map 134, Lots 4-3/4-2A): Approved, unanimous
- Hold off adopting clean energy consolidated permitting process until Oct. 1 state deadline: Approved, unanimous
- Minutes of June 23, 2026, as revised: Approved
- Minutes of July 28, 2026, as amended: Approved, one member was abstained by the Chair (was absent from that meeting) (believed to be member was Allen Maynard)
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