Planning Board


The Planning Board consists of nine members, elected for five-year terms on a rotating basis. For information on Planning Board members, visit our Planning Board page on Hopkinton's Board & Committees database. The Board typically meets every first and third Monday of the month. The board may choose to schedule site walks as needed, typically on Saturday mornings. Check the town calendar for exact dates, times, locations and links to agendas and supporting documents. Meeting agendas and packets are posted to the town calendar at least 48 hours in advance. During their meetings, the Planning Board holds public hearings on many of the applications before the board. The exact time of each public hearing is noted in the agenda and comments from members of the public are accepted at these times. Comments may also be submitted via email to: planningboardchair@hopkintonma.gov or jgelcich@hopkintonma.gov. The Land Use Department and the Planning Board are involved in planning and permitting in a variety of subject areas, including preparation of an Open Space and Recreation Plan every 5 years, review of new development projects, and the coordinating of construction inspections for new residential development infrastructure.

Key Links

MBTA Communities Information

MGL c.40B Affordable Housing

Approvals for 40B Projects fall under the Board of Appeals. Please see the Board of Appeals website for more information.

Planning Board duties

The establishment of municipal Planning Boards is authorized by Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 41, Section 81A. Among its many diverse roles, the Planning Board is charged with the following duties, which are contained in the Mass. General Laws and the Hopkinton Zoning and General Bylaws:

  1. Adopting a Master Plan for the Town. The current Master Plan was adopted in 2017.
  2. Conducting studies, and, when necessary, preparing plans of the resources, possibilities and needs of the Town for submittal to the Board of Selectmen for their consideration.
  3. Serving as the local authority for the Subdivision Control Law; adopting Rules and Regulations governing the subdivision of land in the Town of Hopkinton ; reviewing all preliminary and definitive plan submittals, and endorsing approval-not-required plans.
  4. Drafting and submitting zoning amendments for consideration by the Town. When a zoning amendment has been put forward by any entity, the Planning Board holds the public hearing and also reports its recommendation to Town Meeting.
  5. Serving, in some instances, as the Special Permit Granting Authority (SPGA). The Planning Board is charged with issuing the following Special Permits in the Hopkinton Zoning Bylaw: Open Space and Landscape Preservation Development; Garden Apartments in Residential Districts; Flexible Community Development and Campus Style Development.
  6. Reviewing and proposing the acceptance of streets as Town public ways, with recommendation to the Town Meeting.
  7. Serving as Site Plan Review authority for non-residential Site Plans.
  8. Issuing permits to remove trees and stone wall within street rights of way designated as scenic roads by Town Meeting. The Planning Board also recommends roads for scenic road designation. For more information about scenic roads, see Chapter 160 of the Bylaws of the Town of Hopkinton.
  9. Issuing permits for earth removal within the Town of Hopkinton. For more information, see Chapter 96 of the Bylaws of the Town of Hopkinton.
  10. Annually appoints the members of the Design Review Board.
Planning Board representatives also serve on the following other Boards and Committees: Open Space Preservation Commission, Community Preservation Committee, Design Review Board, and Zoning Advisory Committee.

The Planning Board's staff services are provided by the Department of Land Use, Planning and Permitting.