Clinton Planning Board Directs Kennel Bylaw Update for Spring Town Meeting

CLINTON -- April 7, 2026, Clinton Planning Board moves to update kennel zoning ahead of spring town meeting. At its April 7 meeting, the board directed town staff to work with Town Counsel to draft a narrow kennel bylaw amendment limiting kennel uses, including doggy daycares, to commercial and industrial districts by special permit only, with no residential allowance. The push was triggered by a citizen's petition from Scott Cunha of Fenway Bark, a local dog daycare that has sought clearer zoning authority for more than a year, and by Allie's Law, 2024 Massachusetts legislation that introduced updated kennel definitions the town's 25-year-old bylaw does not reflect. A staff member said the draft must be ready to advertise before the board's first-week-of-May meeting to make the town meeting warrant; Town Counsel's office was expected to produce it quickly, with the staffer calling the changes "pretty straightforward, a layup." The board also heard a briefing on the J-Bill facility wind-down, with staff estimating that 400,000 to 500,000 square feet of industrial space will come to market after the company departs, with redevelopment unlikely before late 2027.