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Chris Kluchman, the town’s director of Land Use Management announced on Nov. 6 that she is leaving her position after seven years at Town Hall.
Kluchman has accepted the newly created position of Housing Choice Program Director at the state Department of Housing and Community Development.
“I will be in Boston at the DHCD offices, where I will coordinate an interagency working group to improve housing production in the Commonwealth and better coordinate with municipalities,” Kluchman stated. “It promises to be an extremely interesting and challenging job, where I will get to manage a new program and help local governments navigate technical assistance related to housing.”
Kluchman will begin her new position on Nov. 14. Westford Town Planner Jeff Morrissette has been appointed acting director of Land Use Management, according to Kluchman.
Kluchman joined the town in 2010 as a planner, eventually supervising the Planning Department as well as the Zoning Board of Appeals. She has 29 years of planning experience in such communities as Belmont, Devens, Springfield, and Stoneham.
Under her watch the town underwent a divisive battle last year over the controversial approval by town officials of an asphalt plant at 540 Groton Road that spurred residents to protest in the town Common and plant “no asphalt” signs on their front lawns. Planning Board members had denied the project in 2010 and 2015, but they, along with selectmen, reached a settlement agreement with businessman Richard DeFelice. owner of Newport Materials of Nashua, New Hampshire.
The director of Land Use Management is charged with overseeing and enforcing some of the regulations that asphalt plant owner, Newport, will be required to follow. Construction is not completed.
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