by Frank Schroth

This past year women have established a presence in Town Hall, 40B developments loom, and Beth Shalom of the Blue Hills received a gift. These developments and the people involved all mattered to Milton in 2013 and will continue to do so in the year ahead.

A review of page views over the year gone by confirms that the issues above were of keen interest to residents. The town election in general and Conlon’s victory in particular was a top story. With Conlon’s election the Board of Selectmen saw the return of a woman and an attorney to the group. She won by a substantial margin. As we noted at the time, Conlon ran more on an approach than a platform and her behavior on the board to date confirms that. She listens. However,she will gently press for change. Of the selectmen, it is Conlon who has been the most vocal on the need to follow up on recommendations made in a recent report by the Department of Revenue. While she has not voiced an opinion, say, on the need for an audit committee, one of the recommendations; but she has encouraged the board to take up the issue and not let this document simply “gather dust.”

The other female presence in Town Hall is Annmarie Fagan, the longtime assistant Town Administrator who was appointed Town Administrator in the early spring. With Conlon on the Board of Selectmen, Ms. Fagan as Town Administrator, and the election of Sue Galvin in 2012 as Town Clerk, women have a become a strong presence at Town Hall.

Change never happens as quickly as we might like; but change did come to East Milton and it appears to be for the best. While the traffic northbound on Granite Avenue continues to cause headaches, the overall flow through the square has been improved with the closing of Adams Street over the deck. The orange barrels were not attractive but they are gone. It is an improvement and further development is expected. The goal is to redesign the park and put in parking. How this factors in to a larger Master Plan that is being drafted and the possible acquisition of the Park and Ride lot further down Granite Avenue is an open question.

Unfortunately, there are times when change does not happen at all. Despite a concerted effort on the part of town officials and to the chagrin of almost everybody, Hendries, an abandoned ice cream factory at the corner of Eliot and Central, remains as it has with no clear development plan in sight. The owners, Carrick Realty, were denied a special permit for a mixed use development because their proposal did not meet zoning regulations according to the Planning Board. Carrick then put together an application for a 40B residential development. Hearing this, State Senator Joyce convened a group to revisit the mixed use proposal, address the concerns, and resurrect the proposal. The deal did not happen for reasons that have not been made public as the Selectmen do not want to compromise future negotiations. It has been a tortured process. Complicating the situation is the ownership of the property and the zoning that controls it. The town owns the parking lot and space above it. Whether that can be developed independent of the larger parcel owned by Carrick is a question. Another is what Carrick can develop other than a 40B. The property is zoned commercial but whether the lot is big enough to develop as a commercial property, meet current zoning (e.g. parking etc), and be financially viable is a question. It is a tangled mess and it is hard to see a way forward that does not reunite the two parcels in to a single mixed used development that delivers amenities to the neighborhood, vitality to the square, and taxes to the town.

While the Hendries development did not move forward, others did. The largest is a new 66 unit apartment building going up at the Milton Hill House at the end of Eliot Street on the edge of Milton Village. As Planning Board Chair Alex Whiteside noted recently, that property was also considered for a comprehensive permit (i.e. 40B), which may account for the support the neighbors gave to the apartment building. Regardless it received neighborhood support, the necessary variances from the Board of Appeals, and site plan approval from the Planning Board.

Chapter 40B developments are also being proposed for Brush Hill Road, Randolph Avenue, and the Hillside neighborhood. The largest is Milton Mews (~270 units) on Brush Hill Road across from Fuller Village (find related posts here ). There has been strong opposition from Fuller Village, The Friends of the Blue Hills, and the Neponset River Watershed Association among others due to concerns around environmental, traffic, and safety impacts. MassHousing has granted permission to submit a permit.

Another large development is being proposed by the developer Todd Hamilton who was denied an open space special permit for property off of Hillside. He is looking to put in ~70 units on the site. Neighbors recently appeared before the Board of Selectmen to voice their opposition. Traffic is again cited as an issue. It should be noted that the denial of the special permit also triggered a law suit.

Lastly, there was is a proposal for 40B development off of Randolph. However, MassHousing returned the application to the developer.

Milton is open to 40B developments (i.e. higher density developments than allowed by zoning) because its inventory of affordable units as determined by the state does not meet the state’s requirement of 10%.  Milton’s inventory of affordable housing is at ~4.5%. This exposure has renewed interest in the development of a Housing Production Plan. Towns with a housing production plan can deflect unwanted 40B developments. However, the plan needs to include specifics on where affordable housing will be built and a commitment to build a certain number of units according to a timetable. Town Planner Bill Clark has said that Milton’s plan will need to add 48 units of affordable housing a year until it meets the 10% requirement.

The appetite for this is not especially high yet as noted by Chair Whiteside, developers will continue to take pot shots at us until it is in place.

What is clear is that development matters. A Master Plan is entering its second phase. This effort has been solely championed by Planning Board member Emily Innes. It is an important initiative as it affords the town an opportunity to control its future. This past year has also seen:

• the demolition of an historic building, St Elizabeth’s rectory, which will make way for a hospice center,
• a proposal for an assisted living facility across the street at the old Horseplay Stable site
• the proposed demolition of the Women’s Club, another historic building, for construction of residential units
• and the Milton Mews 40B development which is moving to a second phase. 

These developments all point to the fact that Milton can and will change. While Milton may be built out, there is nothing to prevent it from being built over.

Recently, the Gordon family made a proposal for their ~6 acres of land. Approximately an acre would be gifted to Beth Shalom of the Blue Hills for the site of a new synagogue. The remainder would be preserved as open space. Some of the Lodge Street residents have opposed the proposal. They object to access to the temple from Lodge Street due to safety concerns. Other residents have expressed gratitude for the gift.  Data collected by the traffic commission indicates that the volume of cars will not be especially high. The selectmen, who do not have jurisdiction on the matter, have encouraged the residents who have expressed concern to continue their dialogue with the Gordons.

The town also brought closure to its anniversary year with a celebration. The 350th committee staged a wonderful end of birthday year celebration for the town on Hutchinson Field. Thanks go to all that made that happen.

The schools saw changes in their committee with Glenn Pavlicek retiring and the election of Becky Padera and Mike Zullas. Pavlicek re-appeared on the other side of the table. He is the new Asst Superintendent of Business replacing Matt Gillis who moved on. Asst Superintendent Phelan will also be leaving for Belmont. There are new principals at Glover and Tucker; but through it all the schools soldier on. Two other significant developments: Jim Moonan, a teacher at Pierce, was distinguished in being awarded one of education’s most prestigious awards, The Milken Award; and the teachers made a strong statement several weeks ago when they attended a school committee meeting en masse to voice their displeasure over the lack of a contract. An agreement has since been reached and the membership is scheduled to vote on it in early January.

The tides of time bring change and challenge. It is with an optimistic eye that we greet the new year. Milton remains a town with engaged citizens who will volunteer their time to work to make things better. Sometimes a call goes out – for members of a committee (Government Study, Granite Park and Ride, Master Plan), others step up of out of their own interest or desire (Friends of Milton Crew, Milton Citizens Against Aviation Impacts). The work is hard but the willingness is there — that’s for the good. Bring on 2014.