Stoughton Planning Board Sends Two Zoning Bylaws to Town Meeting, Closes Sign Hearing

STOUGHTON — February 12, 2026 — Stoughton Planning Board advances senior housing bylaw and zoning corrections to town meeting while defending its record on two controversial commercial projects. At the February 12 session, the four-member board unanimously voted to refer a revised senior housing development bylaw — which would allow up to 16 units on parcels greater than five acres and offer a 20 percent density bonus for affordable units — to town meeting for a vote, alongside a pair of zoning map corrections affecting parcels on Central Street and Park Street. Town Planner Bill Bissonette presented the senior housing revisions, which add the General Business district to the bylaw's reach and set a minimum 10-foot inter-building separation drawn from state building code. The board also voted to close the public hearing on a freestanding electronic sign at 614 Park Street, with a decision incorporating Massachusetts state sign law conditions — including a 10-second minimum static display and a 0.3 foot candle brightness ceiling — expected at the rescheduled February 24 session. In closing comments, the chair pushed back on recent Select Board criticism over traffic at the Cobb's Corner Dunkin' Donuts and a Pearl Street bagel shop, saying enforcement of roadway parking violations falls to police, not the Planning Board: "We did due diligence."