A proposed zoning change that would have created a Hospitality, Recreation, and Entertainment District in Wareham has now been withdrawn and will not be considered at the upcoming Town Meeting in October. 

The withdrawal was announced at the September 14 Planning Board Meeting, although board members did not specify why the zoning change is no longer being considered. 

The zoning change would have allowed for large scale commercial developments north of Routes 495 and 25. 

The district was proposed by The Notos Group, the developer of the proposed Wareham Park racetrack, and would encompass the project’s site: a 275-acre parcel of land on Glen Charlie Road in East Wareham, which abuts Route 25.

The Wareham Park project will not be allowed to continue as planned without the zoning change. It is not immediately clear how the Notos Group plans to proceed (if at all) now that the proposed district is no longer being considered by the town. 

Town Planner Ken Buckland previously said that the purpose of the proposed district would have been “to promote sustainable economic development through the option of commercial projects that increase the tax base while providing alternatives for recreational activities in town.” 

Had the proposed zoning change not been withdrawn, it would have needed approval from ⅔ of voters at Town Meeting.