Urban Affairs Committee postpones vote on draft Marlborough Forward Plan

MARLBOROUGH -- April 29, 2026, Marlborough councilors postpone vote on draft Forward Plan after two-hour walkthrough. The Urban Affairs and Housing Committee voted 5-0 Wednesday to delay action on the 2026 Marlborough Forward Plan, an MEDC-commissioned update to the 2011 master plan presented by RKG Associates principal Eric Halverson. Halverson reported regional office vacancy at roughly 17 percent, projected population growth of 3,300, and a jump in median single-family prices from under $400,000 in 2020 to over $600,000. Council President Ossing called one recommendation, taxing multifamily housing at the commercial rate, a "non-starter" that would "cripple the people paying rent," touting $833 million in added commercial value since 2011. Resident Steven Bigneault challenged the plan's 0.07-student-per-unit assumption as undercounting school impact by sevenfold. MEDC Executive Director Meredith also disclosed that the MetroWest Regional Transit Authority will make the city's Southwest Quadrant shuttle a permanent route.