Ashland Planning Board votes 6-0 informally to approve YMCA project at 30 Memorial Drive

ASHLAND — March 26, 2026 — Ashland Planning Board signals unanimous support for a planned YMCA at 30 Memorial Drive but keeps the public hearing open pending a surety bond ruling from Town Counsel. The board took an informal 6-0 straw poll endorsing the MetroWest Young Men's Christian Association project — a full-service YMCA, Early Learning Center, outdoor fields, and walking trails on 12.55 acres in the Rail Transit District — before continuing the formal hearing to April 9, 2026, at the request of the applicant's attorney, Matt Eckel of Fletcher Tilton, who said the unresolved surety bond language could prevent the applicant from speaking at a future session if the hearing closed prematurely. Chair Tricia Kendall led the board through a lengthy line-by-line markup of the draft decision, adding conditions requiring DPW approval of sewage flow and sewer pump details before building permits are issued and requiring a rock construction entrance to prevent sediment tracking. The board also continued a separate hearing on a proposed 1.9-acre synthetic turf soccer field at 240-260 Pleasant Street, directing applicant Wayne Belec of Land Design Collaborative to return April 9 with comparative data on turf materials, citing concerns about heat generation, environmental impact, and end-of-life recycling.