Hadley Planning Board Clears First ADU Under State Law, Approves Four Sign Applications

HADLEY -- June 17, 2025, Hadley Planning Board approves signs, clears ADU under new state law, and renews planning contract. The board voted 4-0 on all items at its June 17 meeting, with member Josie Zagrodnik absent throughout. The most substantive action was an administrative review of a proposed accessory dwelling unit brought by applicant Alan St. Hilaire under the 2024 state ADU law, what member Bill Dwyer described as likely the first application caught under a retroactive bylaw approval that "slipped through the cracks." The board also approved sign packages for Dunkin' Donuts at 331 Russell Street and East Anthony Savings Bank at 100 East Street, a gooseneck lighting plan for Wineski Produce at approximately 180 Russell Street, and a final FY2025 invoice of $5,181.48 to the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, along with a new PVPC assistance contract for FY2026. An unresolved question about whether ADUs must have separate utility connections was referred to the Select Board, which was scheduled to take it up the following evening.