Carver Planning Board Advances 40R Housing District Proposal, Continues Two Solar Hearings

CARVER -- May 26, 2026, Carver Planning Board holds joint session on 40R housing overlay as solar hearings advance. Town Planner Sean Lewis briefed the Planning Board and Redevelopment Authority on a proposed 40R Smart Growth Zoning District at 130 North Main Street that could yield up to $1.2 million in state incentive payments and would satisfy the MBTA Communities Law without requiring a direct vote on Chapter 3A, a distinction Lewis said protects the town if the state later expands that statute's requirements. The zoning math allows up to 298 units on the site; the landowner has stated an intent to build 240. The board separately continued public hearings on two cranberry-farm solar projects, Federal Furnace Road Solar 1 LLC and Dunham Pond Solar 1 LLC, both developed by New Leaf Energy on Edgewood Cranberry land, to June 23, with a site visit for the Dunham Pond project set for 9:30 a.m. June 6 at 89 Tremont Street; the two projects together are projected to deliver nearly $4 million in pilot revenue to Carver over 20 years. Planning Board member Mary Ellen Williams publicly challenged RDA Chair Joanna for statements made at a prior RDA meeting, saying Joanna had incorrectly told the public the Planning Board had voted for the 40R and that full development plans had been submitted.