Concord Planning Board Continues Gas Station Renovation Review, Endorses ANR Split

CONCORD — March 24, 2026 — Concord Planning Board continues review of a proposed country store and gas station renovation at 166 Commonwealth Avenue, while unanimously endorsing a residential lot split at 49 Willard Common. Attorney Jonathan Silverstein of Blatman, Bobrowski, Haverty and Silverstein LLC presented plans for Concord Country Store, LLC to renovate the long-idle gas station into a specialty retail and fuel operation featuring reduced impervious surface, stormwater treatment, EV parking, and a wraparound canopy designed to align with West Concord Village design guidelines. The board raised unresolved questions about HVAC placement, lighting color temperature, canopy material authenticity, and whether the project triggers the town's fossil fuel-free construction bylaw. Senior Planner Christine Zaleski said peer review is still pending, and the board continued the matter to its April 14 meeting when the Board of Appeals is also scheduled to act. In a separate 5-0 vote, the board endorsed the ANR plan for 49 Willard Common over a neighbor's objection that Willard Common had been misidentified as a public way on the original application.