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2<br />
Select Board rejects<br />
Richardson Green plan<br />
By Anne MArie ToBin<br />
LYNNFIELD ― The Select<br />
Board declined to give its<br />
support to a warrant petition<br />
seeking a zoning change of the<br />
Richardson Green property on<br />
Main Street, seemingly closing<br />
the door on developer Angus<br />
Bruce’s proposed project to<br />
build 54 units of senior housing.<br />
Bruce appeared at Monday’s<br />
night Select Board meeting to<br />
tout the benefits of the project,<br />
seeking the board’s support<br />
for the zoning change and the<br />
project. He said the development<br />
will generate “millions<br />
of dollars” of revenue for the<br />
town.<br />
“I cannot endorse the project<br />
as proposed for this property,”<br />
said Select Board member Phil<br />
Crawford. “It seems similar to<br />
what we have seen before and it<br />
looks like you have added some<br />
carrots at the end of the stick<br />
and, while that doesn’t diminish<br />
the benefits as you pointed out,<br />
I prefer the direction we are<br />
heading in.”<br />
The direction referred to by<br />
Crawford concerns the town’s<br />
stepped-up efforts to exercise<br />
a right of first refusal it holds<br />
on the property at the contract<br />
price of $2.71 million. Recently,<br />
the town received a $1.6 million<br />
Municipal Vulnerability<br />
Preparedness (MVP) Action<br />
Grant to help fund the town’s<br />
acquisition, which Town<br />
Administrator Rob Dolan has<br />
described as “one of the largest<br />
MVP grants he has ever seen.”<br />
In addition, the Lynnfield<br />
Conservation Commission has<br />
pledged $200,000 toward acquisition.<br />
Most recently, the Essex<br />
County Greenbelt Association<br />
pledged another $300,000 toward<br />
the project. Combined,<br />
those leave a gap of approximately<br />
$571,000, which will<br />
be funded from the proceeds of<br />
the town’s $3.8 million federal<br />
stimulus funds award.<br />
The bottom line is the town<br />
will use the funds to simultaneously<br />
exercise its right of first<br />
refusal, assigning its rights to<br />
the property to Greenbelt under<br />
Massachusetts General Laws<br />
Chapter 61. The town would<br />
then purchase a conservation<br />
restriction from Greenbelt to<br />
preserve the property in perpetuity<br />
as open space.<br />
Bruce’s proposal calls for the<br />
construction of a 54-unit, 55-<br />
plus housing project for seniors<br />
on part of the 21-acre parcel,<br />
with about 10 acres being given<br />
to the town for use as open<br />
space. A project rejected by the<br />
town two years ago called for<br />
a single-family development.<br />
Bruce submitted a citizen’s<br />
petition for inclusion on the<br />
Oct. 18 Town Meeting warrant<br />
seeking to change the zoning<br />
from single-family residential<br />
to an elderly housing district.<br />
Bruce’s project will provide<br />
access to the property at the<br />
rear of the parcel via a road as<br />
well as five parking spaces. A<br />
1,700-foot water main from the<br />
intersection of Lowell and Main<br />
streets will be constructed,<br />
along with several fire hydrants.<br />
WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 OCTOBER 7, 2021<br />
Bruce said one of the proposed<br />
units will be reserved as affordable<br />
housing for a veteran.<br />
Bruce said the project<br />
will generate approximately<br />
$800,000 in property taxes, a<br />
$20,000 impact fee per unit totalling<br />
$1,060,000 plus excise<br />
taxes. The town will also benefit<br />
from enhanced fire-safety<br />
improvements with new fire<br />
hydrants.<br />
“I am impressed with the<br />
presentation and the benefits<br />
you cite, but I think that even<br />
six months ago we did not<br />
know that we would be in this<br />
position to be able to acquire<br />
this property at no cost to the<br />
taxpayers,” Select Board Chair<br />
Dick Dalton said. “This, too, is<br />
my preference.”<br />
While Select Board member<br />
Joe Connell agreed with<br />
Crawford and Dalton, Bruce<br />
did not.<br />
“I don’t know why they don’t<br />
discuss the money, that’s other<br />
people’s money,” he said after<br />
the meeting. “It seems like<br />
$571,000 is an awful lot of<br />
money when I am giving them<br />
10 acres for access and they<br />
are getting all of that income. I<br />
don’t agree that this is free.”<br />
“One of the most important<br />
things is the fire protection part<br />
of this,” said Mirabeau Lane<br />
resident Rich Ripley. “There is<br />
a lack of fire protection in that<br />
area, and having a developer<br />
bring that in there is an enormous<br />
benefit to the community<br />
and the residents who live there<br />
now. This is a missed opportunity<br />
on our part for the town.<br />
It’s just a shame.”<br />
The Planning Board will hold<br />
a public hearing on Oct. 13 at<br />
7 p.m. in the Maney Meeting<br />
Room at Town Hall to allow<br />
residents to weigh in on the<br />
petition.<br />
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PHOTO | ANNE MARIE TOBIN<br />
Developer Angus Bruce carries<br />
a rendering of his plan.<br />
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has reworked the provisions of<br />
the bylaw, significantly scaling<br />
back the original provisions.<br />
“We think now we have addressed<br />
all the concerns that<br />
have been brought to us by the<br />
Select Board and constituents,”<br />
Planning Board Chair Brian<br />
Charville said.<br />
The bylaw applies only to<br />
“building activities,” Charville<br />
added.<br />
“The only tree removal that<br />
would be regulated with this<br />
(bylaw) is tree removal that is<br />
done related to a new subdivision,<br />
new home construction, a<br />
site plan ― which typically is<br />
for commercial property (and)<br />
not residential ― or a special<br />
permit granted by the Planning<br />
Board,” he said.<br />
Charville said the board<br />
made these changes because<br />
they had heard concerns that<br />
the bylaw shouldn’t apply to<br />
the average homeowner who is<br />
performing simple tree upkeep.<br />
Director of Planning<br />
and Conservation Emilie<br />
Cadamartori said the Planning<br />
Board met with the Select<br />
Board to address its concerns<br />
over the bylaw.<br />
Before<br />
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“We made a few more adjustments<br />
after listening to the<br />
Select Board and after the board<br />
didn’t support it for the June<br />
Town Meeting, we had more<br />
time to understand the feedback<br />
the public was giving us,”<br />
she said. “This bylaw is substantially<br />
different than prior<br />
versions so we are hopeful.<br />
“This is a beginning, but<br />
people need to realize that this<br />
bylaw only came into existence<br />
because the public came to us<br />
asking, ‘Why aren’t you doing<br />
something about this?’ People<br />
asked us to do something about<br />
the fact that people were removing<br />
trees. We just didn’t<br />
think this up on our own, people<br />
asked us to do something about<br />
the loss of these trees.’”<br />
The fourth article is a petition<br />
submitted by developer Angus<br />
Bruce, seeking the rezoning of<br />
the Richardson Green parcel<br />
on Main Street. Specifically,<br />
Bruce is looking to change the<br />
zoning from a residential to<br />
elderly housing district. The<br />
current zoning only permits<br />
single-family homes.<br />
Assistant<br />
Town<br />
Administrator Bob Curtin said<br />
that Bruce’s petition automatically<br />
goes on the warrant due<br />
its status as a citizen’s petition;<br />
the developer will appear at a<br />
future meeting of the Select<br />
Board, he said.<br />
The Planning Board will<br />
also conduct a public hearing<br />
on Bruce’s proposal, which<br />
is scheduled for Wednesday,<br />
Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. in the Maney<br />
Room of Town Hall.<br />
Bruce acknowledged the fact<br />
that the project may be “moot”<br />
should the town decide to exercise<br />
its right of first refusal on<br />
the property.<br />
The Town Meeting will be<br />
held in the Lynnfield Middle<br />
School auditorium at 7 p.m.