Whitman Zoning Panel Clears Four Bylaw Amendments for Town Meeting

WHITMAN -- March 11, 2026, Whitman's Zoning Bylaw Study Committee unanimously advanced four bylaw amendments to the annual town meeting warrant at its March 11 meeting. The committee, chaired by Richard Rosen, approved a new Wetlands Protection Bylaw drafted by Conservation Commission member Ed Winnett, a residency-requirements cleanup that broadens exemptions to all town employees, and a housekeeping amendment extending Zoning Board of Appeals permit expiration from two to three years. The committee also voted 4-0 to send a proposed Chapter 40R Smart Growth Overlay District to the Planning Board, which has scheduled a public hearing for April 14. Old Colony Planning Council planner Jason DeRocha told the committee the district, concentrated near Whitman's commuter rail line and covering parcels on Pond Street, Essex Street, South Avenue, and Franklin Street, could yield between $10,000 and $75,000 in state zoning incentive payments, with an additional $3,000 per-unit bonus payment for each building permit issued, a figure that could approach the original $350,000 projection if 66 Pond Street and 185 Franklin Street are developed.