PLYMOUTH — August 18, 2026 — At an “on-the-road” meeting held at Manomet Elementary School, frustrated Whitehorse Beach and Manomet residents voiced severe complaints regarding an ongoing Chapter 40B residential development by Champion Builders. Abutters described relentless heavy truck traffic, vibrating neighborhood roads, and towering 70-foot unmitigated sand piles blowing dust across homes and HVAC systems. Town officials pledged immediate administrative follow-up with inspectional services and the developer while emphasizing municipal legal limits under state comprehensive permit statutes.
The Full Story
Taking their meeting into the village of Manomet, the Plymouth Select Board faced a wave of public testimony centered on safety, environmental degradation, and neighborhood quality of life. The primary flashpoint was Champion Builders’ Chapter 40B development off Beach Street and Elm Street. Multiple abutters testified that the developer has failed to honor conditions negotiated in a July 31 agreement brokered by Director of Inspectional Services Jason Silva.
Residents reported that dozens of heavy commercial trucks traverse narrow residential roads without sidewalks each day, damaging overhead utility wires, shearing vehicle mirrors, and raising severe safety hazards for children preparing for the upcoming school year. Abutters also reported massive uncovered sand excavations blowing persistent dust across the coastal pine barrens ecosystem.
“Not one day have they complied. The trucks have slowed down... but nothing is covered. The dirt piles are 60, 70 feet tall... to the point that Champion wants to spit in our face today—at the top of the largest pile, they inserted an American flag instead of a tarp.” — Christine Sordillo, Elm Street [00:30:02]
Town Manager Derek Brindisi explained that Chapter 40B comprehensive permits are state-governed statutory processes overseen locally by the Zoning Board of Appeals rather than the Select Board or Planning Board. However, Brindisi noted that site mitigation terms—including dirt pile tarps, water trucks, and street sweeping—fall under local code enforcement. Brindisi began drafting administrative correspondence to Inspectional Services during the meeting and directed residents to log direct violations with town inspectors at 508-322-3431 or through SeeClickFix.
Select Board member Kevin Canty addressed broader housing dynamics, noting that Plymouth is actively pursuing the state-mandated 10% Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) threshold to shield the community from future uncoordinated 40B projects and transition municipal resources toward targeted, working-class workforce housing.
