County commissioners voted on Oct. 22 to approve a license agreement allowing Tacoma Green residents to use 32 of the 51 designated parking spaces on Wait Drive to meet conditions in a Planning Board special permit. The motion passed 3‑2 after debate about whether assigning off‑street spaces to the development was appropriate.

Real estate manager Tracy McDonald summarized the proposed license, which implements a Planning Board condition from the special permit dated Nov. 27, 2017. Town counsel Vicki Marsh explained the arrangement had been discussed with the police chief, who agreed the police department would enforce placard‑style parking by issuing permits to residents who present a lease and license plate; the 32 permits would operate as placards rather than assigned numbered spaces within the pool of 51.

Commissioner comments exposed a split on policy. Some members said the MassWorks grant that funded Wait Drive was awarded in connection with Tacoma Green and that the town committed to off‑site parking as part of the project; others argued the town should resist assigning so many street spaces to one development and warned of incremental loss of shared land to parking. Planning staff and the Planning Board recommended the current parking arrangement as the means to meet zoning requirements, noting a waiver allowed off‑site compliance with the town’s parking bylaw.

The motion to approve the license was moved and seconded and, by roll call, the outcome was: Brooke — Aye; Dawn — Aye; Matt — No; Malcolm — No; Chair — Aye. The motion carried 3‑2.

Separately, the Select Board later approved a temporary license agreement that allows placement, maintenance and eventual removal of 28×10 sheds on town property at 4 Way Drive (assessor Map 67, Lot 917) for Tacoma Green construction staging and use. Tracy McDonald presented the plan; town counsel Vicki Marsh and counsel for HK Tacoma LLC were present. The Select Board vote on the shed license was unanimous (Matt Fay — Aye; Brooke Moore — Aye; Tom Dixon — Aye; Malcolm McNabb — Aye; Don Hill — Aye).

Town officials said the sheds are temporary and the shed license is intended to bridge the construction and initial occupancy period while the ground‑lease transaction is finalized. Enforcement of the parking placards will be performed by the police department under the terms of the license, and planning staff said the arrangement preserves some flexibility because the 32 permits are placards, not fixed space assignments.

Board members and staff emphasized the decision rests on the Planning Board’s special‑permit conditions, the MassWorks grant that funded Wait Drive and the town’s authority over the town road, and noted future adjustments to parking rules or site plan conditions would require separate public hearings and approvals.