After months of discussions, deliberations, and debate that at times was quite contentious, the Planning Board last night voted 4-1 to submit an article to the Board of Selectmen for inclusion in the Warrant to be put forward at a Special Town Meeting currently scheduled for February 22nd.
The article requests the town to allow the zoning bylaws to be amended to permit construction of a new temple along along with two buildings to contain commercial uses. These are likely a CVS and food market.
Board member Ed Duffy was the lone dissenting vote. Member Bernie Lynch requested confirmation that a “yes” vote was only to submit the article for the warrant and not a recommendation for adoption. The board confirmed that was the case.
The article as submitted contained the edits and revisions recommended the previous evening. The most notable of which was the inclusion of a property value analysis, which reads:
A reliable analysis as to the effect that the development, at the one-year anniversary of the completion of construction, will have had on real estate property values of real property within 500 feet of a lot line of the develpment. In the event that the analysis projects a decrease of real estate property values attributable to the development of this date, measures to mitigate this impact shall be included in the analysis.
[note: You can find the full text of the Planning Board’s article here.]
The Planning Board reviewed the RFP for a firm to perform peer review on the traffic impact analysis and hope to put it out today. Ms. McEttrick and Mr. Shields at the Board of Selectmen’s meeting that occurred slightly later in the evening indicated they would like to review it; but it should not impact release. Mr. Shields said, “what you (Mr. Jackson) describe seems adequate to me.”
Mr. Shields was much less sanguine regarding the article itself. “This is a total change. I am not in favor of this kind of spot zoning.”
A public hearing for the article is scheduled for 12/21. A second day if needed will be held 1/4. The next meeting of the Planning Board is 12/10 @ 6:30pm at the Council on Aging.