Frequently Asked Questions

Copies of the application, plans, and supporting materials are on file at the Planning Division office located on the first floor of the Town Offices. You are welcome to review this information and may pay for copies of any information you would like to keep. This information will also be available for review on the Planning Division website at https://andoverma.gov/1130/Projects-Under-Review. The Planning Division's normal office hours are Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM.

The Planning Board regularly meets the second and fourth Tuesday of each month. The notice you received in the mail tells you when and where the public hearing is scheduled. It is also published in the legal notice section of the Andover Townsman. At the first hearing, the applicant will present plans and explain the proposal to the Planning Board. The Board will ask questions, generally where clarification is needed. There will be an opportunity for those in the audience to ask questions or offer opinions. Comments may also be submitted in writing to the Planning Board prior to the hearing. Any correspondence should be emailed to planning@andoverma.gov or mailed to the attention of the Planning Board at the Town Offices. Since the Board often hears several projects in an evening, hearings last a specified period of time. At the end of this time, the hearing may be either closed or continued to a future meeting. Occasionally, for simple projects, hearings can be completed in one night and are closed; meaning that no further testimony is taken. More often, hearings will be continued with direction given by the Board to the applicant on revisions to the plans or information that is needed. Continued hearings may be several weeks or months in the future depending on how long it takes the applicant to gather the required information and the Board's workload. Occasionally the hearing process is delayed due to weather, the absence of a Board member or at the applicant's request. To verify that a hearing is being held on a scheduled date, you can check the Town website at https://andoverma.gov/ or call the Planning Division on the day of the hearing at 978-623-8650.

The Planning Board is subject to the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law (M.G.L. c. 30A, §§ 18-25). If members of the Planning Board respond to a communication outside of the public hearing, it could be a violation of the Open Meeting Law. All communications will be discussed and responded to during the public hearings.