Marlborough council sends 90-unit Forest Street overlay to April 27 hearing

MARLBOROUGH -- March 23, 2026, Marlborough City Council advances 90-unit Forest Street overlay and accepts $548,000 in state grants. The council voted 10-0 to refer Attorney Robert C. Buckley's proposed Forest Street Residential Overlay District, filed for Redgate Real Estate Advisors, to Urban Affairs and the Planning Board and set an April 27 public hearing on the 30.96-acre, 80-foot-height zoning change tied to a Marlborough/Northborough Land Trust project at Ames and Forest streets. Members also accepted a $97,500 Community Compact IT grant to digitize Building Department records, a $200,500 state grant for a police body-worn camera program, and a $250,000 Green Communities award for HVAC upgrades at Fire Station 1 and the Police Department. The council approved $917,528 in mid-year FY26 transfers and a $565,811 PEG transfer to WMCT-TV for FY27, and advertised salary ordinances topping the city solicitor at $175,000 and the assistant fire chief at $186,700. At-Large Councilor Sean A. Navin reported aggregation customers saved $355,085 in the fourth quarter, pushing program savings past $38.2 million since 2007.