Belmont Select Board Approves Developer Funding For Hill's Crossing Study

Select Board · Meeting of August 31, 2026

Belmont Select Board takes developer cash for a zoning study and edges toward a tiered stormwater fee. The board voted unanimously to accept up to $110,000 from a Hill's Crossing property owner to fund independent traffic, parking and environmental studies tied to the town's zoning overlay. DPW Director Jay Marquardt argued the current system is unfair because "who pays doesn't reflect who contributes to the stormwater runoff," and the board leaned toward a tiered impervious-surface fee ahead of a fall Town Meeting vote.

Parents Mike Capitani and Mark Healy pressed the board to study converting Belmont Middle School's multi-use field, closed since 2024 despite a $160,000 fix, to synthetic turf. Member Matt Taylor won approval to start Leonard Street meters at 7 a.m., citing roughly $500,000 in parking revenue he says the town is leaving on the table. The board also approved a $40,000 Council on Aging donation and retained its AAA bond rating from Moody's.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 4,363 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of August 31, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.