Harwich Planning Board Pulls Multifamily Bylaw Revisions From Spring Warrant

HARWICH — February 10, 2026 — Harwich Planning Board pulls proposed multifamily zoning revisions from the spring town meeting warrant over short-term rental concerns. The board voted unanimously at its February 10 meeting to table draft changes to Section 325-51Q of the zoning bylaw — which would have added a purpose-and-intent section and barred short-term rentals from multifamily special permit projects — after members warned the rental-restriction language was a "lightning rod" that could sink the article on the town meeting floor. In the same session, the board unanimously approved a $223,000 partial security release to Eastward Companies for a subdivision at 1595-1598 Orleans Road, reducing a performance bond to $33,000 following a peer review by engineering firm VHB. The board also advanced a package of housekeeping zoning articles — covering accessory dwelling unit setbacks, building height limits in residential districts, and removal of state-law inconsistencies — toward the May warrant, with a public hearing on those articles and the town's Local Comprehensive Plan scheduled for February 24.