the following was submitted by the candidate

Bryan W. Furze of 630 Brush Hill Road announced today that he will seek election to the Milton Planning Board in the April 2014 election. Furze is seeking to fill the seat being vacated by outgoing Planning Board member, Bernard Lynch.

Furze, Vice President of Leasing and Asset Management at Linear Retail Properties, specializes in the reuse and redevelopment of underutilized real estate in New England. He has extensive experience with zoning, permitting, land use place making and smart growth. His successful track record of working collaboratively with communities on land use includes the Towns of Wellesley, Wayland, Natick, Dedham, Cambridge, Newton, City of Boston, and others in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.

Furze is concerned that Milton is being threatened by controversial developments in disputed locations because of a lack of a solid zoning and planning structure in place. He is also concerned that Milton is falling behind its peer communities because of this lack of proactive zoning and a growing threat of economic instability. “I believe that Milton can strike a better balance and gain more control of the permitting and entitlement process that we have today, and I am hopeful that the voters of Milton will give me a chance to effect change,” he said.

“I would like to be part of a Planning Board that implements the Master Plan process that began in 2013 with proactive, progressive and smart zoning to ensure that Milton remains an exceptional community in the future,” said Furze. ”Our community needs a planning strategy that respects the diversity, history and character of our community while also recognizing the need for a stabilized tax base and the growing demands for exceptional services and investments in our future,”

Furze is a Town Meeting Member in Precinct 10 and is the current Chair of the Granite Avenue Park and Ride Committee. He and his partner, LeeMichael, and their son, Simon, reside in a formerly vacant farm house on Brush Hill Road that the couple renovated. Furze is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and a member of the Urban Land Institute, where he mentors and educates high school students in urban revitalization.

“LeeMichael and I moved to Milton because it is a beautiful place to live and raise our family,” said Furze. “We want to see Milton retain its unique small-town character while embracing measured, smart growth to ensure its ability to make continued investments in infrastructure, excellent schools and strong town services.”