Duties: The Planning Board recommends Zoning By-Law amendments for adoption by the town and approves land subdivision either by Approval Not Required (ANR’s – creating new lots along existing road frontage) or under the Sub-Division Control By-law (where new roads are proposed). They also are the Special Permit Granting Authority for uses that require Special Permits or Site Plan Reviews for uses that are allowed by required site plan reviews.
The Zoning Enforcement Officer for the town of Plainfild is the Building Commissioner.
In addition to this, we work on special projects that have the potential to influence development of land and/or promote growth that is compatible with the character of the town. Two examples they are currently working are:
The Village Green Project is a planning study to investigate improvements to the shared parking for the Town Hall and Congregational Church and seeks to address critical infrastructure deficiencies that include replacement of the stone culvert for a stream that runs parallel to the town hall, increasing the capacity of the fire pond to provide adequate reserves for any fire near the center of town, determining the status of the septic system that serves town hall, creating a public water supply for town hall that meets DEP requirements and improving public safety for exiting and entering the site from Route 116. Commissioned by the Planning Board with funding through the American Recovery Act, surveying, wetland determinations and civil engineering to identify the scope and probable cost of this project was completed and the Village Green Study was presented to the town on February 26, 2025.
The Roads Project that seeks to identify the status of all road segments from Town Meeting Records to determine which roads have been accepted, abandoned or discontinued to establish the legal status of all roads in Plainfield. Once the status of roads are determined any actions requiring adoption or abandonment will be brought to a future town meeting. The goal is to create a definitive list of town roads.