Hanson Select Board Approves Expanded Planner Title, Waives Affordable Unit Purchase Right

HANSON — June 9, 2026 — Hanson Select Board approves combined town planner title and waives right on affordable housing unit. The board unanimously approved a new job description formalizing the title of Town Planner and Director of Land Use for Tony DeFreitas, who now formally oversees both the Planning Department and the Zoning Board of Appeals — a consolidation passed at the May Annual Town Meeting. Town Administrator Lisa Green flagged a potential bylaw conflict over whether DeFreitas reports to the elected Planning Board or the town administrator, and said she would consult town counsel ahead of a possible October Special Town Meeting fix. The board also voted unanimously to waive its right of first refusal on 902 Main Street, Unit 35, a 40B unit priced at approximately $270,000, with the right-of-first-refusal deadline set at June 28 — the chair warning that Hanson's roughly 3 percent affordable housing rate leaves the town with "very little ability" to control future 40B siting until it reaches the 10 percent statutory threshold. Green reported the town submitted four One Stop for Growth applications totaling approximately $1.4 million and received a separate $150,000 engineering grant for the Maquan Route 14 Transportation Improvement Project, both attributed largely to DeFreitas. The board accepted the resignation of Building Commissioner Chris Cipulli, effective June 30, 2026, and appointed Kurt Tarvis as Transfer Station Disposal Area Attendant contingent on Board of Health confirmation.