West Bridgewater Planning Board Closes Horsepower Road Hearing, Approves Six Design Waivers

Planning Board · Meeting of July 15, 2026

West Bridgewater Planning Board closes Horsepower Road public hearing and approves six design waivers, setting August 5 for final subdivision vote. The board voted 5-0 to close the public hearing after engineer Scott Thayer of JK Home Grid Engineering presented revisions including a road widening from 26 to 31 feet — made possible by a 17-foot easement from the West Meadow Woods Homeowners Association and a 10-foot easement from Stephen Smart of 255 Walnut Street — along with 35 arborvitae plantings, vertical granite curbing, and sight-distance measurements exceeding the 250-foot minimum. Six waivers from subdivision regulations were approved, including a 4-1 vote allowing the existing 33-foot Spring Street right-of-way in lieu of the 60-foot industrial-road standard, on the grounds that expanding to 60 feet would require demolishing a corner of an existing building.

Pearl Road resident Matthew Spear, describing himself as "mostly affected" by the project, told the board he found the development "troublesome" and "stressful" but credited the developer with being "very willing to do what he needs to do to make it a decent situation." A used car dealership application at 745 North Main Street was continued to August 5 after applicants Andre and Juana Pereira failed to appear and staff found the submission lacked an engineer's stamp, a full site plan, and required zoning tables.

In the full story:

• Background and stakes
• The question before the body
• Substantive content
• The deliberation
• Procedural steps and outcome
• Implications and what is next
• The complete report — 3,268 words

Source: the Planning Board meeting of July 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.