Select Board backs fall warrant, new zoning rules

Select Board · Meeting of September 28, 2026

CHELMSFORD — The Chelmsford Select Board voted 5-0 on nearly every article of the fall Town Meeting warrant, including new zoning for data centers and contractor yards and a black plastic food-container ban. The board also recommended $2,363,293 in free cash spending across roadway work, restroom renovations and stabilization funds, plus $610,000 in Community Preservation funds for affordable senior and group-home housing. Planning Board Vice Chair Joel Luna said the new data-center rules were meant to avoid a repeat of Lowell's 40-megawatt Markley facility, warning "this is obviously not the kind of thing that we want to see happen here." The night's sharpest exchange came over a citizen's petition to study reviving a Recreation Department: Chair Pat Wojtas said the original department folded after losing $100,000 amid "abysmal" accounting and argued the timing was wrong "right now we are dealing through an inflationary spiral that has no specific ending." Petitioner John Ray, a 42-year veteran of special-needs recreation programming, agreed to consider withdrawing his petition before the board's October 5 meeting.

Recycling Committee member Rebecca Gore said the new container ban was needed because "we pay fines for contamination in our municipal recycling."

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,093 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of September 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.