Select Board appoints new town planner, board chair
By Mike BergerThe town of Canton has a new town planner following the unanimous appointment of Taylor “TJ” Torres at Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting. Torres previously worked as a grant coordinator for the city of Taunton and has a background in economic and commercial development.
The other applicant the board considered was Caitlin Coppinger, a senior project manager for the Boston Planning and Redevelopment Agency. She has expertise in affordable housing and open space planning.
Torres will start his new position in two weeks. The board expressed its gratitude to Gene Manning, town assessor and chair of the Economic Development Committee, who has filled in as interim town planner for the past 18 months.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, the Select Board held a reorganization vote and elected Tom Theodore as the new chair. Former Chair John Connolly will serve as vice chair and Mike Loughran will take Theodore’s former spot as board clerk.
* Affordable Housing Trust Coordinator Kevin Shea updated the Select Board on new affordable housing counts. Shea said the state has certified 1,159 affordable units in Canton, which represents 13.31 percent of the town’s total housing stock. He expects an additional 16 to 22 units to be certified in the coming year, which would bring Canton’s percentage to 13.5 percent. Shea said the first expiration of affordable housing restrictions will come sometime between 2030 and 2032. Loughran, who is the board’s representative to the Affordable Housing Trust, said the trust is taking a pro-active approach to finding possible new units.
* Town Administrator Charles Doody reported that the temporary relocation of the Ponkapoag Fire Station to the former St. Gerard’s rectory will commence next week and a notice will be sent to abutters. Doody estimated that repair and renovation work will take approximately two months to complete before equipment and personnel can move back to the Ponkapoag station …
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Posted by Mike Berger
on May 26 2023. Filed under News, Town Government.
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