Lenox Zoning Board Unanimously Approves Amended Plans for 69-Unit Affordable Housing Project

LENOX — June 16, 2026 — Lenox Zoning Board approves minor floodplain amendment to 69-unit affordable housing project on West Center Street. The board voted unanimously June 16 to approve amended plans for a CDC South Berkshires development, finding that design changes — chiefly the removal of a porte-cochere drive-through — result in a net increase of only 20 square feet of building footprint within the 100-year floodplain. Architect Nick Elton of Westwork Architects and civil engineer Mark Levesier of Foresight Engineering presented the revisions, which had already cleared the Planning Board on March 23 and the Conservation Commission. Approval is conditioned on a recertification letter from Foresight's registered engineer confirming the 100-year flood impact is not increased and on updated certificates of insurance naming the town as an additional insured. Abutting neighbors pressed for flooding guarantees during public comment; Levesier told the board the completed site "will meet or exceed the ability to store water in the event of a 100-year storm than what it does right now." The board also voted to table a separate discussion on establishing a zoning administrator policy until its next meeting, scheduled for July 8 at 5 p.m., citing the need to review the full text of MGL Chapter 40A, Section 13.