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.
by Frank Schroth
Last night at a joint meeting of the Board of Selectmen and Planning Board a Housing Production Plan was unanimously accepted. The plan, if approved by the Department of Housing and Community Development, will give the town the prerogative of rebuffing unwanted 40B developments for a period of a year. There are currently 3 developments being proposed under MGL chapter 40. Under Chapter 40B, in any municipality where less than 10% of its housing qualifies as affordable under the law, a developer can build more densely than the municipal zoning bylaws would permit, allowing more units per acre of land when building a new development, if at least 25% (or 20% in certain cases) of the new units have long-term affordability restrictions.
by Frank Schroth
At a public meeting on the development of a Housing Production Plan, Milton’s situation with regard to affordable housing and its ongoing vulnerability to 40B housing developments was starkly drawn. Karen Sunnarberg, a consultant retained by the town to assist in the development of the plan, gave a presentation (see below) that Alex Whiteside, Chair of the Planning Board, characterized as “excellent.” It provided definitions, needs assessment, and strategies for affordable housing in Milton.
by Frank Schroth
And now there are three . . . projects that have been green lighted to file for comprehensive permits. The Massachusetts Housing Partnership sent a letter of eligibility to Steve Connelly, a principal at Carrick Realty, informing him that his request for determination of preliminary project eligibility for an apartment building consisting of 57 units (49 two bedroom and 8 three bedroom) has been approved.
by Frank Schroth
At the last meeting of the Planning Board they began a discussion of a bylaw to permit condominium developments in Milton. Chair Whiteside said the board has been approached by developers seeking to do condominium projects and that there are several properties where such a development may be appropriate. One being the St. Pious Property. The developer and his counsel, Ned Corcoran, were present to discuss their ideas.
by Frank Schroth
According to a recent article in the Boston Globe (Highway plan heads to Town Meeting vote) Canton residents of Hemenway Drive are seeking to have their street designated as a scenic way. The initiative is part of their efforts to prevent the construction of Milton Mews a large 40B apartment complex being developed by Mill Creek Residential on Brush Hill Road in Milton.
by Frank Schroth
The key announcement in the Town Administrator’s report last night was the news that the courts had issue a judgement allowing the Board of Selectmen to sell the town farm property to Pulte Homes in accordance with the P&S that had been signed with the firm. Annmarie Fagan said, “We are going to move forward.”
Commentary by Frank Schroth
The Warrant Committee did again this year what they had done last year and the year before that and the year before that . . . they requested a level dollar budget from town departments. A level dollar budget paves a one-way street for a department head and that one way is backwards.
Two recent articles on 40B may be of interest to Milton residents. One item mentioned in the first article concerns Weymouth Senator Hedlund’s amendment to tighten environmental regulations on 40B. Environmental impacts have been identified by critics of proposed Milton Mews development here. The developers, Mill Creek, are also looking to build a 40B in Needham, the topic of the second article.