Canton, Massachusetts · Saved source text

11-20-25 MPIC Minutes

Master Plan Implementation Committee · Source meeting date: 2025-11-20 · Record 82269

Saved text from 6 of 6 source pages. Transcription and OCR may contain errors; verify figures and wording against the original.

Master Plan Implementation Committee 
Minutes 
Thursday, November 20, 2025, 7:00 p.m. 
Zoom Meeting 
Present at the Meeting: Emilio Mauro, Chair (Finance Committee); Peg Mead, Vice Chair, 
(Citizen -at -Large); Bob MacDonald (Conservation Commission); and Alan Rapoport 
(Economic Development Committee) 
Not Present: Patricia Boyden (Select Board); Jim Quigley (Planning Board); Mike Nourse 
(Historical Commission); Sonja Grauds (School Committee); Janice McCarthy (Playground 
and Recreation Commission) 
Staff Member: Connor Murphy, Town Planner 
Guest: Tom Birmingham, Chair, Sustainability and Climate Action Plan Committee 
Item #i — Introductions - Chair welcomes attendees and introduced MPIC members. 
Chair Mauro called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. He welcomed everyone to the Master 
Plan Implementation Committee (MPIC) meeting and introduced the members, Connor 
Murphy, Town Planner, and Tom Birmingham, Chair of the Sustainability and Climate Action 
Plan Committee. He explained that the MPIC is meeting via Zoom and that the meeting is 
airing on CCTV, and he would like to welcome the viewers. 
Item #2 - Action Plan Update — Update regarding the ongoing Master Plan Action Plan 
update process and the progress of the Action Plan Working Group and Horsley Witten — 
Connor Murphy, Town Planner. 
Mr. Murphy explained that the Action Plan Update Working Group is one-third of the way 
through their update reviews. He explained last month he had sent an inventory to all 
Department Heads and Committees identified as lead responsible parties regarding Action 
Items in the Master Plan and he gave them 2 to 4 weeks to get the inventory done. He has 
heard back from about go% of the responsible parties, who have sent back their responses. 
They are waiting on at least one Commission to be at i00%. The Consultant has taken the 
data, added all the comments from each Board and Commission, and compiled it with what is 
complete and what is outstanding. The Action Plan Update Working Group is meeting with 
the Consultant for the second time and will be going over every action item step by step 
through a series of meetings. 
The Working Group started with action items that are considered easy win / short-term items, 
which is 1-2 years or 2-5 years. The Working Group has had discussions regarding the 
different feedback they've received. These action items are not technically binding, and they 
Master Plan Implementation November 20, 2025 Page I of 6 
Committee — Minutes

are more recommendations and policy driven. Mr. Murphy and the Working Group will 
continue to work with the Consultants, and the next meeting is next week. 
When the Working Group completes its review, some of the items will have new 
recommendations; be removed or reworked; or combined if they are repetitive in nature. For 
example: shared electric bicycles (There is no infrastructure in town to accommodate this) was 
already recommended for removal. The Working Group is also looking at requirements for 
electric charging stations in the Master Plan, as there are already some requirements in the 
building code and required for infrastructure. The Working Group is also reviewing timelines 
for the action items and adjusting them for some other action items. In the next few weeks, the 
target for the Working Group is to be at 75% completion of this update review process. 
Mr. Murphy explained that the MPIC should target having a full committee meeting in 
January 2026 to review the completed update recommendations. He noted that this type of 
five-year review is a relatively new process for both him and the consultant, as many Town are 
not as proactive as Canton in reviewing their Master Plan and wait until the next new Master 
Plan to review. Once it is ready, there will be a presentation to the Planning Board and Select 
Board, respectively, and the whole process is currently moving forward. 
Chair Mauro explained that the action items being reviewed are a section of the Master Plan 
called the Action Plan, which are recommended actions based on the findings of the Road Map 
section of the 2020 Master Plan, with sections focusing on various aspects of life in town, 
along with a timeframe for item completions and responsible parties recommended to lead the 
implementation of those action items. He also acknowledged the Action Plan Update Working 
Group is made up of four committee members from the MPIC, which include Peg Mead, Trish 
Boyden, Jim Quigley, and himself, with Connor Murphy as the Staff Member, 
Mr. Birmingham was introduced and he is a member of the Sustainability and Climate Action 
Plan Committee. He has a few suggestions and he explained that he was going through the 
Master Plan Action Plan, as part of developing the Climate Action Plan, and he found 65 action 
items that had some form of relationship to energy, climate, and environment; with 45 items 
that came out of the Climate Action Plan support the relevant goals of the Master Plan Action 
Plan. These aligned goals were all reflected in many of the recommendations in the Climate 
Action Plan. 
There is a climate community leader status, and a related grant, which is a goal of the Climate 
Action Plan, with a state grant of up to $1M. The Town must meet six (6) criteria to qualify. 
One requirement we are looking into is for expansion of electric town vehicles. Different 
departments would have to purchase electric vehicles, which would be cost efficient, along 
with charging infrastructure to support the vehicles. 
There was also discussion about how to cross reference the shared goals of the Master Plan 
Action Plan and the Climate Action Plan. 
Ms. Mead explained that she has gone through the Master Plan, which was created five (5) 
years ago, and she applauds this Plan and encourages anyone to review this Plan. 
Master Plan Implementation November 20, 2025 Page 2 of 6 
Committee — Minutes

Mr. MacDonald agreed with Ms. Mead that everyone should look over the Master Plan for the 
goals for the Town and some items have been completed and some are in progress. 
Mr. Mauro felt that the update process also provided an opportunity to check -in with all the 
responsible parties at one time and get a sense of how much has been accomplished over the 
past five years. 
Item #3 -Town Planner Updates -Connor Murphy, Town Planner 
A. Route 138 Corridor Technical Assistance Program Grant Application. Mr. Murphy has 
been working on this for the past few months along with assistance from the Economic 
Development Committee. This is to further Economic Development in this focus area 
and is part of the Action Items in the Master Plan. He has worked closely with the 
MAPC before, which is the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission. They do terrific 
work and their Economic Development Team are very familiar with the economic 
needs of the Metropolitan area. He has worked on this grant program, which opened a 
few weeks ago with a December deadline for submission. This application is for a 
corridor study of Rt. 138. If the Town does not receive this grant, there is another one 
he will apply for from Community One Stop for Growth with a window starting in 
January with a submission due date in April. 
Chair Mauro, who is also a member of the Economic Development Committee, was very 
supportive of this grant application to address the needs of the Route 138 Master Plan Focus 
Area. He noted how this grant could build off the 2019 RKG Associates Route 138 Corridor 
Study and lead to more targeted economic development that will help make the corridor a 
destination and a greater revenue source for the Town. Through a Finance Committee lens, he 
also noted the potential for new growth and the benefit of increased revenue to the Town, 
which is closely monitored by that committee that he also serves on. 
Mr. Birmingham explained that energy transformation helps identify the Town's strong grids 
and weaknesses for growth. There are maps coming from Eversource that show this corridor. 
Mr. Murphy explained that everything goes hand in hand with zoning with what is allowed if 
redevelopment projects come before us. Water and sewer are often focused on, but energy is 
important and sometimes utilities are forgotten. If energy is not tackled the expenses when 
redeveloping a site can be expensive moving forward. Rt. 138 is a regional connection from 
Milton through Stoughton and adding new uses will kick start growth in this area of town. 
In answer to Mr. MacDonald's question regarding Route 138 corridor transportation, Mr. 
Murphy reviewed current shuttle service along the corridor and Royall Street and noted that 
he is also submitting a grant application for additional shuttle service for the Rt. 138 / Dan 
Road / John Road area, which will benefit 2nd and 3rd shift workers and bring workers to and 
from the Canton Junction Train Station and take cars off the road benefitting traffic and the 
environment. He will look at the traffic bylaw and look into any potential redevelopment 
funding or requirements to encourage businesses to group together and take on the cost of a 
shuttle service. There is also a regional shuttle service grant related to Shawmut Road that he 
mentioned that is outside this corridor that has been submitted. 
Master Plan Implementation November 20, 2025 Page 3 of 6 
Committee — Minutes

B. Open Space Recreation Plan Update Starting — The Town received 9 proposals for this 
Plan and they hired Horsley Whitten to do the Open Space Recreation Plan Update 
(the current plan expires in the spring 2026). This will kickoff in December and there 
will be public media updates. Once complete, the appropriate state authorities will 
review it. 
C. Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness 2.o Grant Program — The original Municipal 
Vulnerability Preparedness Program was focused on infrastructure and regulations 
while this new grant program focuses on the social aspect of climate change and build 
outreach to vulnerable populations in Town that are more at risk from climate change. 
Locally, the Town has a Core Municipal Team, and they are working on community 
development work with the vulnerable population with the assistance of professional 
planning vendor (grant procured) and equity partner (state assigned). This committee 
consists of various residents, along with the Public Health Department, Tom 
Birmingham, Jen Wexler, Izzy Nolan, and Mr. Murphy. There are two parts to this 
grant: (t) community outreach exploration for the vulnerable community; and (2) to 
implement projects by July 2026 to receive an additional $50,000 for implementation 
of the Plan. 
D. Climate Action Plan - Mitigation Funds were authorized by the Select Board for a 
consultant to implement the Climate Action Plan and conduct energy management 
work. A group consisting of Tom Birmingham (SCAPC), Jen Wexler (SCAPC), Brian 
Lynch (Canton Public Schools), Rob Martin (Facilities Department), and Mr. Murphy. 
Among the goals are looking at all public buildings, energy management plans, the 
Town's decarbonization map, the move toward specialized energy code and climate 
leader status, and doing public outreach. Some of this work will kick off in December 
and be completed by next year. 
Mr. Birmingham was pleased that the Facilities Department is involved and is looking for help 
regarding air conditioning; ventilation, and energy usages, and having an idea of how much 
energy is being used and understanding the needs. This will be connected to looking at 
funding and capital planning projects. They are also looking at 25 years out and replacement 
of equipment cycles to work these improvements into those plans. He also expressed 
appreciation for the Select Board for their help and input. The timeline on this project is 
December 2025 thru June 30th, 2026, when the contract ends. We can obtain an extension if 
needed. 
Mr. Murphy explained that capital funding was requested for the HVAC replacement at the 
Senior Center. A grant was received for $250,000 to pay for this project, so we can use the 
capital funding money for another project. 
Town Meeting Amendments: 
1. Map Amendment —Removal of the Economic Opportunity Zones to be consistent with 
prior zoning amendments as it relates to the Central Business District. 
Master Plan Implementation November 20, 2025 Page 4 of 6 
Committee — Minutes

2. Text Amendment —Based on the Attorney General's Office review of Zoning Articles 
presented and approved in the 2024 Special Town Meeting, several amendments need 
to be made for the Zoning Bylaw Text to be consistent with the AG's review and the 
promulgated guidelines. Specifically, the following will need to be considered: 
a. Reference to "single-family" dwelling in Sections 8.14; 8.16(A) and (C) and 11.0; 
b. Section 8.1.2 that limits an as -of -right ADU only where single-family homes are 
allowed as -of -right; 
c. Section 8.1.2(B) that imposes a minimum lot size requirement for construction 
of an ADU; 
d. A portion of Section 8.1.2(D) that imposes a setback requirement that is the 
same setback requirement as the primary residence; and 
e. A portion of Section 8.1.6's parking requirements. 
3. (Potential) Text Amendment — The Department of Energy Resources under the 2024 
Clean Energy Law have issued guidelines relative to clean energy infrastructure 
projects. It defines "large" and "small" infrastructure projects for generation, storage, 
distribution, and transmission. Small projects are reviewed and regulation by 
Municipalities if they are 25MW generation and 1ooWh storage. If it is outside of this 
size, it is reviewed by the State with public input, combining different permitting 
agencies. If it is a small project, it is distributed to department heads and committees; 
the Town has one (i) year to review; the Town would create one (1) final Decision 
(zoning, conservation, et cetera) and it is filed with the Town Clerk. This streamlines 
the process for clean energy infrastructure projects. Solar and battery storage systems 
are becoming very popular in the Commonwealth. Once the model bylaw is 
introduced, the Town will take our bylaw and regulations and cross-reference, with the 
final guidelines coming out in March 2026. Depending on whether anything needs to 
be changed, further action might need to be taken to make amendments to conform to 
these new guidelines. 
Item #4 — Acceptance of Minutes 
Chair Mauro deferred a vote on the September 25, 2025, the Minutes to the next meeting, 
since there was the absence of a quorum. 
Item #5 — Upcoming Meetings 
Future meetings were discussed and there was an effort not to coincide with the working 
group and the holidays, so it was decided to tentatively schedule January 8, 2026, it that date 
works for a quorum. The target is to have the Action Plan Update recommendations 
completed by that time. 
Ms. Mead stated that this coming Saturday there will be a groundbreaking ceremony to 
inaugurate construction of the new Library Park at io:oo a.m., which is supported by 
Community Preservation Act funding. There will be brief speeches and refreshments at the 
public event. 
Adjournment 
Master Plan Implementation November 20, 2025 Page 5 of 6 
Committee — Minutes

A consensus motion was made by Mr. MacDonald and seconded by Ms. Mead to adjourn the 
meeting at 8:22 p.m. Roll Call Taken, Motion Approved by Consensus (4-0) (Yes - Mauro, 
Mead, Rapaport, MacDonald). 
Chair Mauro thanked attendees, Canton Community TV, and the audience who tuned in and 
watched the meeting. 
x ✓�v� 
Co or Murphy 
MPIC — Town Planner 
Master Plan Implementation November 20, 2025 Page 6 of 6 
Committee — Minutes