WILMINGTON, MA — The Wilmington Select Board meets this Monday, April 13, 2026 at 7pm in the Town Hall’s Hearing Room.
The meting agenda is jam-packed, and — among the listed agenda items — is a discussion on “Special Town Meeting Warrant Articles.”
This is the first reference to any sort of potential upcoming Special Town Meeting made at a recent Select Board meeting. It is not yet known what the warrant articles could be about.
Town officials did not comment on the agenda item. Select Board Chair Frank West would only tell Wilmington Apple that he encouraged residents to tune into the meeting. The meeting streams live on wctv.org and on Comcast 22 and Verizon 38. The discussion is scheduled to begin around 7:30pm, although tuning in earlier is advisable.
One potential reason for calling a Special Town Meeting may involve the town’s desire to purchase Sciarappa Farm (333 Andover Street). The Select Board met in Executive Session (non-public meeting) for “the Purpose of Discussing the Purchase, Exchange, Lease or Value of Real Property at 333 Andover Street in Accordance with MGL Chapter 30A, Section 21(a)6” on January 12, 2026; February 23, 2026; March 4, 2026; March 9, 2026; and March 23, 2026.
At the 2023 Annual Town Meeting, Wilmington voters authorized the Select Board to acquire by gift, purchase, eminent domain, or otherwise all or a portion of property located at 333 Andover Street for municipal purposes.
The measure — Article 40 — passed overwhelmingly, by a 148-to-3 margin, authorizing the Select Board to spend up to $3.79 million from the town’s available funds account, commonly referred to as “free cash.”
Since the 2023 Annual Town Meeting, the town is believed to have been engaged in a lengthy legal dispute with the property owners, in part, over the assessed value of the land.
Another potential reason for calling a Special Town Meeting may involve a desire, based on legal advice, to give residents one last opportunity to comply with the MBTA Communities Act. The Select Board met in Executive Session for “the Purpose of Discussing Strategies with Respect to Litigation by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Due to the MBTA Zoning Legislation in Accordance with MGL Chapter 30A, Section 21(a)” on February 9, 2026 and March 23, 2026.
Wilmington votes have had three chances to approve new multi-family zoning districts under the MBTA Communities Act, and they failed to do so all three times. At the 2024 Annual Town Meeting, voters decided to punt the issue back to the Planning Board. At the 2024 Special Town Meeting, voters decided to oppose the zoning changes by an almost 2:1 ratio — 288 opposed, 154 in favor. At the 2025 Special Town Meeting, the zoning changes failed again, but by only a 10-vote margin — 162 opposed, 152 in favor.
The Town is now incurring legal costs as it is being sued by the Attorney General. The Town Manager is projecting $5 million in state grants will be lost over the next five years. Some of the other 11 communities not in compliance, including neighboring Tewksbury, are publicly considering revotes at Town Meetings. There’s a looming, increasing threat of a state-approved Special Master coming into Wilmington and forcing the town into compliance by drawing and enforcing a new multi-family zoning district with no input from town staff or residents.
To be clear, it is publicly unknown, at this time, what any upcoming Special Town Meeting would address — whether it’s acquiring Sciarappa Farm, amending the zoning bylaws to come into compliance with the MBTA Communities Act, both, or neither. It’s possible there’s another pressing issue — not on Wilmington Apple‘s radar — that may be addressed in addition to, or instead of, the known topics (e.g., Sciarappa Farm, MBTA Communities Act) which have been discussed behind-closed-doors by the Select Board in recent Executive Session meetings.
It is not yet known when the Special Town Meeting would take place, although it does not appear it will take place within the Annual Town Meeting on May 2, 2026, as has sometimes been done in the past. According to the town bylaws, the Select Board must give residents at least 20 days notice of a Special Town Meeting (April 13 is 19 days prior to May 2). Other legal requirements involving the posting of the warrant and conducting a hearing of the Finance Committee make it further doubtful a Special Town Meeting could occur on less than three weeks’ notice.
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