Cohasset Planning Board Approves South Main Street Driveway and Scenic Road Permits

COHASSET -- May 6, 2026, Cohasset Planning Board unanimously approved scenic road and common driveway permits for a three-lot South Main Street development after nearly 90 minutes of deliberation over tree removal, headlight glare, and an antique stone wall. The board voted 5-0 on both approvals at its May 6, 2026 Zoom meeting, with Vice Chair Clark Brewer making both motions and Members Amy Glasmeier and Deirdre Hobson providing the seconds. The applicant, Stephen Bjorklund, represented by engineer Gregory Morse of Morse Engineering, agreed to donate approximately $3,000 to the Town of Cohasset Tree Bank and plant a replacement oak tree in exchange for removing a 20-inch invasive Norway maple along the scenic road frontage. A 15-foot buffer of 12 green giant arborvitae was added to address abutter headlight concerns. The most consequential design change came late in the hearing when abutters Dana Eagles and Elizabeth Stevenson pushed back against a curved replacement stone wall, prompting the board to condition approval on a 90-degree-turn wall configuration using salvaged stone from the original century-old dry-laid wall.