Commentary by Frank Schroth

Of the proposals for Stoughton Land recently made public, the one from Weston Associates would seem to us to warrant serious consideration. At their last session the Stoughton Trustees stated that the candidates were down to two: Pulte and Copeland. Why no Weston?

Pulte will build 23 high-end homes and pay the town $5 million. Copeland will preserve the land and pay the town $1.75 million. Of the trustees, Sweeney favors Copeland; Shields and Hurley favor Pulte.

After reviewing the proposals, Weston should be in the mix. The Weston proposal has some significant aspects and should be considered for the following reasons:

• It is creative. It involves building an Alzheimer’s facility, 8 cottages for able-bodied seniors, a possible home for the Campbell School, and the potential for a small CSA. The impact on town services would be lighter than for a development of high-end homes. Milton currently has no Alzheimer’s facility and will increasingly need centers like this to care for its elderly citizens.
• It is financially competitive. Weston proposes a purchase price of $3.69 million. In addition, the Alzheimer’s facility is a commercial business and would pay a higher tax rate than homeowner’s would. Weston estimates tax revenue of $800,000 versus $345,000 for the Pulte homes (see Boston.com article here). A 10-year projection of revenue (base price + annual interest + annual tax revenue) will demonstrate that Weston’s proposal could in fact outpace Pulte’s over time.
• Lastly, the Weston proposal will create jobs. The new facility will need to be staffed. How better to help those in need than to offer them the possibility of employment? This dimension of the proposal is in keeping with Governor Stoughton’s intent.

Although the Weston proposal will require a change in zoning; this is not too high a hurdle.

We urge the Trustees to give this proposal a second look.

You can find a summary of all 5 proposals here.