In a short meeting Monday night, John Gelcich, the town’s Director of Land Use, Planning and Permitting, announced to the Planning Board that the person succeeding him as principal planner has been hired.

Aneri Patel, who will start on Sept. 29, previously worked as the land use coordinator for the town of Wayland, Gelcich said. Both towns have similar structures, he noted. Patel also has been the permitting coordinator for the department and “has familiarity with the whole Land Use world.”

Gelcich will attend the next Planning Board meeting on Oct. 6 with Patel “to help ease that transition,” he added, noting that he had been promoted to the director’s role in February.

“I think she’ll fit in well,” he added. “I think she’ll do a good job. She seems very capable and competent, and we’re excited to have her join.”

Hearings, Wilson Street road repair discussion continued

The two public hearings scheduled for this meeting were continued. The main one was for the proposed parking lot expansion at the UniBank/Starbucks plaza. The proponent requested a continuance until the Oct. 20 meeting.

The commercial parking lot at 85-89 West Main Street is located on an acre at the corner of West Main Street and Lumber Street. The small but popular shopping plaza is occupied by UniBank, Starbucks, Verizon and a nail salon. The proposal has been reduced to add two parking spaces, rather than the four initially proposed.

Also continued was the hearing for a special permit for parking in the downtown business district that would impact Claflin Street. The proposal called for parking between the principal building and the street for a four-unit development at 3 Claflin Street, off Walcott Street. The new hearing date is Oct. 6.

At the Aug. 4 meeting, residents expressed concerns about flooding, snow removal and the impact of seven new spaces on a narrow residential street.

The discussion about road damage to Wilson Street allegedly caused by development of the Trails also was postponed. Kerry Reed, the Department of Public Works director, previously asserted that The Trails was responsible for the road damage. Owner Vin Gately said that while he did not believe his project was solely at fault, he planned on completing repair work by May 15 at a cost of $40,000.

At the Sept. 8 meeting, the board discussed how it could hold Gately to his promise to fix the road. Gately was scheduled to explain his position at this meeting, but Gelcich said he was unable to attend due to an emergency.