Plymouth Zoning Board Closes Pulte 40B Hearing, Deliberations Set for April 6

PLYMOUTH -- March 16, 2026, Plymouth Zoning Board closes public hearing on 163-unit Pulte 40B project, setting April 6 deadline for deliberations. The board voted unanimously to close the public hearing on two Chapter 40B proposals from Pulte Homes of New England, a 100-unit Ocean View North development and a 63-unit Sandry Drive project, after Chair Peter Mayne cited the expiration of the statutory 180-day window and warned that failure to act within the remaining 40 days would result in a constructive grant of all permits. Pulte attorney Mark Mastriani declined a requested 60-day extension to await EPA rulings, stating flatly, "We are not considering a 60-day extension." Attorney Stephanie Kiefer of Smolak and Vaughan defended the projects against environmental concerns, citing seven consecutive EPA five-year reviews finding the adjacent former Cannons Engineering Superfund site protective of human health and noting that approximately 85 tons of arsenic-impacted soil had been excavated from the Sandry Drive parcel under state oversight. Board member Ed Conroy questioned whether waiver documentation for sewer connection fees, estimated at $35,860 for the 25 percent affordable units, was sufficient, while Mayne said he would "not vote to waive a penny." Traffic engineer Ken Cram, testifying for a community group of more than 3,000 members, told the board that Pulte's traffic impact assessment used posted speed limits rather than the 85th-percentile speeds required by MassDOT guidelines, and relied on an outdated trip generation manual.