KINGSTON - May 5, 2026 - A missed statutory deadline by the Zoning Board of Appeals has resulted in the controversial Cushman Farms 40B housing project automatically receiving its permit as originally submitted—completely voiding all conditions and compromises previously negotiated by the town and neighbors.
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During the public comment period of Tuesday’s Board of Selectmen meeting, resident and Associate Zoning Board member Marsha Meekins informed the Selectmen of a significant procedural failure regarding the Cushman Farms development.
According to Meekins, the Zoning Board allowed a critical 40-day deliberation deadline to expire on April 27 without calling a meeting, taking action, or requesting an extension from the developer. Under Massachusetts Chapter 40B law, failing to act within this window means the project is automatically approved “by operation of law” exactly as the developer initially applied for it.
The lapse effectively erases substantial changes and conditions that neighbors and town officials had spent months successfully pressuring the developer to accept. Meekins stated she had circulated a memo to the Zoning Board and Town Administrator Scott Lambiase on April 17 warning of the impending deadline, but a scheduled meeting was abruptly canceled without explanation, and no subsequent action was taken.
