Groveland Planning Board Approves 1 Elm Park Permit, Advances Water Plant Review

Planning Board · Meeting of July 7, 2026

Groveland Planning Board unanimously approved a special permit for a four-unit residential addition at 1 Elm Park and opened a public hearing on a proposed $30-to-$35 million water treatment plant designed to bring the town's three groundwater wells into compliance with new federal PFAS limits by April 2029. Acting in place of absent Chair DJ McNulty, the board first required applicant John Guilfoyle of FKG Properties LLC to reimburse the town approximately $700 in re-advertising costs stemming from a missed Town Clerk timestamp on his original application, with board members citing the need to set a clear precedent that "the onus is generally on the applicant." Apex Companies LLC senior project manager Alston Potts and engineer Darren Stairs then presented plans for an 8,400-square-foot pre-engineered metal building at 183 Rear Main Street, to be sandwiched between the existing well station and the new skate park at the Pines Recreation Area; total project costs including water main work are estimated at roughly $45 million, with some 2,000 water-connected households on the hook for repayment. The town has secured about $15 million in low-interest state revolving fund loans and is preparing a second $15 million application, but the board warned the project team that a hard October 2 deadline for submitting a construction-stage loan package to MassDEP leaves almost no room for delays in the town's technical review process.

In the full story:

• Opening and 1 Elm Park Special Permit — PB2026-02
• Background and Stakes
• The Clerical Error Dispute
• The Permit Vote
• Background and Stakes
• The Project
• The complete report — 2,964 words

Source: the Planning Board meeting of July 7, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.