Planning Board Releases Long-Disputed Paula Lane Lot, Hears Trail Access Ruling

DUDLEY -- January 21, 2026, Dudley Planning Board voted to release a long-disputed subdivision lot and heard town counsel affirm that a condo association cannot block public use of a walking trail. The board approved the release of Lot 14 at Paula Lane and Circle Drive on a 4-0 vote with one recusal, acting on a drainage easement recorded at the Registry of Deeds in 2005 and a Form J completion certificate dating to October 2004, over the objection of Member Thomas Chojnacki, who argued the required drainage infrastructure was never installed. Chair Steve Watroba then read into the record a town counsel legal opinion concluding that the homeowners association trust at the Legacy Landing Country Club Acres development at 61 Airport Road, a 22-unit age-restricted community that received a density bonus in exchange for allowing public trail access, cannot revoke that access or impose age or criminal-background requirements on users. On Lyons Estates, engineer Patrick Daugherty of Midpoint Engineering said the road is complete and paving finished, but 31 required street trees remain unplanted and a $253,000 bond is still in place against an estimated $70,000 in remaining work; the board directed Daugherty to poll residents on tree preferences and return February 11 with a formal bond reduction request. The board also noted a $10,000 CMRPC matching grant for master plan promotion secured by Member Richard Clark, contingent on a town match, has not yet been formally presented to the Board of Selectmen.