Granby Planning Board targets fall town meeting for zoning bylaw overhaul

GRANBY -- July 13, 2026, Granby Planning Board moves toward fall town meeting vote on zoning bylaw reorganization and targeted amendments. At its July 13 meeting, the board heard a presentation from Pioneer Valley Planning Commission consultants on a grant-funded project to reorganize and reformat the town's zoning bylaw, a 100-plus-page document that consultants say has grown difficult to navigate, with duplicated definitions and out-of-sequence section numbering. No substantive regulatory content would change under the reorganization, though the board also identified a slate of potential amendments to pursue in the same cycle, including food truck regulations, accessory building size thresholds, fences, accessory dwelling units, home occupation provisions, and outdoor goods and wares language; sign bylaws were explicitly set aside as too complex. Consultants flagged newly signed state legislation modifying MGL Chapter 40A, including a new "practical difficulty" variance standard and by-right expansion of nonconforming uses. A companion community survey drew approximately 110 responses, with consultants noting nearly half of respondents appeared to be under 18, likely due to distribution through the school department. The board also approved a routine ANR lot-line adjustment for two Carver Street parcels, collecting a $250 fee, and set its next meeting for July 27.