Commentary by Frank Schroth

Tonight the Board of Selectmen will be providing an update on the status of the development of the Hendries property. Let’s hope the board speaks with a single strong voice that is committed to a development they believe to be in the best interests of the town and that they pledge to make their best efforts to achieve that. We believe that the best development would be a mixed-use building of commercial and residential units, and we hope they agree.

There is a long history here and there are no doubt many complicating factors that account for the excessive use of executive sessions; but despite that, the choice is simple. The choice is between a 57-unit apartment building or a mixed-use development of under 40 condominiums with commercial space on the bottom floor. In our opinion, the latter will have less of an impact on parking and traffic in a dense neighborhood, provide continued momentum to revitalize a small but vibrant commercial area, and have a more beneficial long-term impact on town tax revenue. The apartment complex which is currently being pursued by Carrick Realty under Chapter 40B would provide sorely needed affordable housing. The Selectmen need to come out in support of one of those options. An argument could be made that there is a third option, that one can fight Carrick’s effort to build a 40B and start from scratch. Good luck with that.

The town acquired a portion of the Hendries site with the goal of influencing the development of the site. An Urban Land Institute study recommended mixed use. The town then went before Town Meeting to allow a Planned Unit Development (PUD) that would permit a mixed use development. There have been fits, starts, and failures. But now there is one last opportunity to take that property and leverage it to get the development the town claimed it wanted and town meeting voted for. Senator Joyce worked with the Governor to get legislation that would enable the town to transfer the property to Carrick in exchange for demolition of the town-owned portion of the building and commitment to build a mixed use development. Let’s not seize defeat from the jaws of victory.

We urge the Selectmen and the Planning Board to keep their eyes on the prize, which is achieving the mixed-use development the town has sought for so long. A combative adversarial position is not constructive to that. Neither is getting distracted by demolition bids that come in higher than expected. Discussions need to be scrubbed of ego, unfounded speculation, and issues of personality. This entire effort has suffered from a lack of transparency. What we know is that Alex Whiteside, Chair of the Planning Board, and Senator Joyce are in support of this development. We know there must be some interest on the part of the developer to listen to the possibility of a mixed-use development. The developer, as Whiteside recently stated, needs two things a) clear deed to the town-owned property  and b) approval of a special permit. Absent those (and currently there is an absence of both) the developer will continue to move forward with the 40B.

A day of reckoning on this is not far off. In the not-too-distant future, we will have something new there. We shall see if it is something we are all proud of or something we regret. Regardless, it will be something we are all responsible for. If you have an opinion on this you should express it. Speak tonight during Citizen Speak or send an email to your elected officials.