Plymouth Planning Board Directs Staff to Draft Senior Housing and Industrial Zoning Articles

PLYMOUTH — July 8, 2026 — Plymouth Planning Board unanimously directs staff to overhaul senior housing and industrial zoning bylaws ahead of October town meeting. The board voted 4-0 (with one abstention) to approve June 24 minutes before turning to two unanimous directives at its July 8 session. Deputy Director of Planning and Development Michael Silvera told the board that Plymouth's existing elderly housing bylaw — which requires all residents of 55-and-older communities to be 55 or older — likely conflicts with state and federal fair housing law, leaving the town unable to enforce it or approve new proposals under it; staff will draft a modernized "senior housing" article for a public hearing. On industrial zoning, the board directed staff to draft changes to the Lead Industrial Building Height Overlay District based on two recommendations from a Beals Associates consultant report, including allowing 45-foot buildings by right rather than by special permit and exempting rooftop mechanical equipment from height calculations. Board member Mr. Bennett argued that any changes should preserve case-by-case board discretion near residential areas, and the chair called for a geographically tiered approach that removes height barriers in the heart of the Plymouth Industrial Park while keeping special permit protections where the park abuts neighborhoods. The town's warrant for October town meeting opens in a few weeks and closes in mid-August.