A public hearing on a proposed housing development on Summer Street was delayed after too many people showed up.
State public health regulations prohibit more than 25 people in a building at one time. The hearing, which took place at the Abington Senior Center Wednesday night, reached that maximum level before it even started, with several people forced to wait outside.
Under state law, boards can’t prohibit people from attending public hearings. If a crowd exceeds what’s legally allowed, the meeting has to be adjourned immediately and rescheduled.
The Planning Board voted to resume the hearing on Monday, Nov. 16. Because of concerns about crowd size, the meeting will be held virtually. Members of the public will be allowed to watch and participate. An offical meeting link will be posted in the coming weeks, the board said.
Developers are looking to build 156 apartment units spread across four buildings on either side of the Summer Street entrance road to the MBTA commuter rail station.
Town Meeting more than a decade ago zoned the parcels for Transit Oriented Development, which allows for denser housing developments.
Neighbors are concerned about the amount of traffic the new development will add to the road.
DISCLOSURE: The author of this article is a member of the Planning Board.