Hadley Planning Board Moves to Drop 19-Year Commercial Building Size Cap

HADLEY — September 16, 2025 — Hadley Planning Board advances three fall town meeting zoning articles, including a bid to eliminate the town's 19-year-old 75,000-square-foot cap on commercial building size. Chair Joseph Zagrodnik told the board Tuesday that the cap, adopted by petition at the May 22, 2006 town meeting in response to a then-proposed Super Walmart on the Hampshire Mall site, is now discouraging large commercial tenants from exploring Hadley sites. Zagrodnik mentioned, as an unverified rumor, that Costco had inquired of at least one developer about available Hadley property, adding, "I'm not saying Costco is going to do anything — these are just rumors." The board will also send ADU bylaw amendments — required after the Massachusetts Attorney General declined to approve portions of the earlier version — and a new accessory structures setback bylaw to fall town meeting, expected around October 30. The board voted 5-0 to approve a 161.8-square-foot HomeGoods sign at 337 Russell Street in Mountain Farms Mall and paid a $597.28 Gazette invoice for zoning public hearing notices. A public hearing on all zoning articles is set for October 21.