Berlin Planning Board backs two Solomon Pond Mall rezoning articles 4-1

BERLIN — November 4, 2025 — Berlin Planning Board votes 4-1 on both warrant articles bound for the November 17 special town meeting. Chair Thomas Sanford and the four-member board unanimously endorsed their own Solomon Pond Mall rezoning article outright but split 4-1 — Sanford dissenting, Carolyn McDonald voting yes with stated reluctance both times — on a citizens petition covering similar ground, backing it only on the condition that a floor amendment be made at town meeting to integrate its language into the existing zoning bylaw. "We can't responsibly support this the way it is," Sanford said. The board also unanimously approved the Turner Road preliminary subdivision, which seeks waivers to build a T-shaped turnaround extending the dead-end road to roughly 575 feet, and voted 4-0 with one abstention to advance a preliminary subdivision at 248 Central Street contingent on securing a 60-foot easement and resolving a railroad crossing issue. Ron Baron of the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission briefed the board on a grant-funded zoning bylaw rewrite, noting the grant expires June 30 and Berlin's May town meeting warrant closes around mid-February.