Category Archives: Development

Town Land For Sale

Posted on May 8, 2025 | 2 comments

Monday at the annual town meeting (ATM) Steve Dragotakes asked about what town owned land was currently for sale, and Select Board chair Murby mentioned the land at the former Medfield State Hospital site known as Parcel B which is South of Hospital Road where a basketball facility was recently proposed – shown as The South Field on the above plan.

For me the primary town property I would like to see monetized first is not that Parcel B which are beautiful open fields and woods, but rather the land that the Medfield State Hospital Master Planning Committee called The Arboretum. The Arboretum is about 12 acres that contains the former employee homes around the Stonegate entrance (the entrance nearest the downtown).

I suggest the town should first seek to sell The Arboretum after the Trinity Financial project is built, as then The Arboretum land will substantially increase in value. In the interim, I would suggest that the town change the zoning on that land from the sparse density the Medfield State Hospital Master Planning Committee placed on it, so as to permit more dense development and add more to its sale value.

We all want to preserve open space, but to me the open space I treasure at the former Medfield State Hospital site are the fields surrounding the already built areas, and I am not bothered by building greater density in the already built areas. 

I see Old Village Square off of RTE 27 as a model for the density and curb appeal of what could go in The Arboretum. Old Village Square nets the town a large net profit of real estate taxes over municipal costs each year – maybe $600,000/year. The Arboretum developed in a similar manner could add maybe $1,000,000/year to our tax base without much town cost. My path to lowering our high residential real estate taxes is more via building housing that has minimal municipal costs, instead of looking to more business, commercial or industrial development – which few developers seem to want to locate in Medfield.

2 Comments

Posted in Buildings, Development, Medfield State Hospital, Open space, Planning, Select Board matters

86 Plain Street 40B filed

Posted on February 28, 2025 | 1 comment

Per the following email just received, a 40B application has been filed for a 24 unit development at 86 Plain Street –

NEW Comprehensive Permit Application: 86 Plain St – 30 DAYS TO COMMENT

Dear Boards and Staff Members,

As is required by G.L. c.40B §21, and 760 CMR 56.05(3), I am hereby sending notice of a new Comprehensive Permit Application the Zoning Board received on February 28, 2025. 86 Plain Street, LLC and Benjamin Virga (the Applicant) have proposed to build twenty-four (24)

homeownership units on approximately 14.86 acres of land located at 86 Plain Street. Six of these units will be affordable to those making 80% or less of the AMI.

The Application materials can be found here.

The hearing will be scheduled for April 2, 2024, at 6 pm, most likely in person. The remote hearing provision is set to expire at the end or March, and it may or may not be extended by the time I need to post the legal ad. The most likely scenario here is an in-person meeting. I’ll notify you when we’ve agreed on a space.

The agenda will be posted on the website soon.

Since the ZBA acts in place of municipal boards whose local regulations would normally apply, obtaining comments from you is critical for the ZBA to reach an informed decision and craft appropriate conditions of approval. The following boards, commissions, and departments are receiving a copy of the comprehensive permit application and are asked to attend the public hearing in addition to providing written comments (as outlined on Page 18 of the Ch 40B Handbook):

  • -Planning Board
  • -Conservation Commission (Finn, I believe this will also come your way as an NOI)
  • -Board of Health (Nancy, can you please forward to the Board?)
  • -Affordable Housing Trust
  • -Board of Water or Sewer Commissioners (Moe/Sarah, can you please forward to the Board?)
  • -Department of Public Works
  • -Police Department
  • -Fire Department
  • -Building Commissioner (Dana, can you please forward this to the Historic Commission?)
  • and, in addition to the Handbook’s requirements, I’m also sending a copy to the Select Board, as they’re included in the request for waivers list.

Please note the attached list of waivers and let me know if these are not acceptable to you and your Board/Department. If we do not hear from you, the ZBA has the authority to grant any and all waivers they consider reasonable. The list of waivers can be found here. Finn, please note that many of these waiver requests are wetlands related— please flag this with the Commission accordingly.

Please review the attached application and plans and provide written comments to us before the hearing on April 2nd. I strongly encourage you to attend the hearing if you have any comments/feedback for the Zoning Board.

Thank you, everyone!

Maria De La Fuente
Medfield Director of Land Use and Planning
459 Main Street
Medfield, MA  02052
(508) 906-3027
mdelafuente@medfield.net  

1 Comment

Posted in Development, Zoning

ONYX presentation hand out as a PDF

Posted on February 26, 2025 | Comments Off on ONYX presentation hand out as a PDF
20250225-Onyx-presentationDownload

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Posted in Bellforge Arts Center, Buildings, Development, Medfield Park & Recreation Commission, Medfield State Hospital, Select Board matters

ONYX’s presentation

Posted on February 26, 2025 | 1 comment

Last night ONYX Partners Ltd. (Anton Melchionda of Dover) presented the following proposal to a joint meeting of the Select Board, Warrant Committee, and Medfield Park & Recreation Commission.

Points from my notes:

  1. ONYX’s entity as the developer would be a for profit real estate entity owning the land and the 80,000 sq. ft., 8 court basketball facility.
  2. Medfield Park & Recreation Commission gets a 20,000 sq. ft. facility.
  3. ONYX would still go ahead if the # of courts were reduced to as few as four.
  4. ONYX’s prime tenant (30-40%) would be the non-profit BB program for kids K-12 Anton runs.
  5. ONYX would pay property taxes.
  6. Structures could be moved around on the site.
  7. Bellforge Arts Center stated it is also interested in acquiring the use of the same 12 acres for purposes related to its cultural arts center.

My initial thoughts:

  1. The town needs to know the financial details, but those are only likely to come much later, after the annual town meeting (ATM) and responses to a town request for proposals (RFP).
  2. The large amount of traffic generated would severely impact residents.
  3. I would place any structures next to the RR tracks, as far as possible from Hospital Road, so they are as hidden as much as possible from Hospital Road by the elevation change, in order to protect the view scape from the top of the hill as much as possible.
  4. If an RFP is put out, it should be for any and all uses, so the town can evaluate all possible options for this precious town asset, including one from the Bellforge Arts Center.
  5. Finally, as an alternative, I encourage Medfield Park & Recreation Commission to consider doing its own building, on the basis that the town borrows the money for MPRC’s building and MPRC commits to paying the debt service on that building out of the fees MPRC charges for programs they run out of the building. A former director of MPRC opined that the program revenues could financially pay the debt service.

1 Comment

Posted in Bellforge Arts Center, Buildings, Development, Medfield Park & Recreation Commission, Medfield State Hospital, Select Board matters, Sports

Basketball Facility at MSH Site – presentation at 6pm tonight

Posted on February 25, 2025 | Comments Off on Basketball Facility at MSH Site – presentation at 6pm tonight

A large Basketball facility is proposed for town owned land in the area South of Hospital Road at the former Medfield State Hospital, and the proponent will explain his proposal this evening to a joint meeting of the Select Board, Warrant Committee, and Medfield Park & Recreation Commission this evening at 6PM. The Zoom link to that meeting is below.

I suspect the facility is being proposed for the area shown as the South field in the plan below, but note that is not the proponent’s plan. Per the Land Disposition Agreement (LDA) between the state and the town when the town bought the Medfield State Hospital property, the town is permitted to develop only 12 acres of the almost 40 acres South of Hospital Road, because they are prime agricultural soils. The town swapped a restriction on 12 acres of the Holmquist land to be able to use those 12 acres. Per the LDA, the town also has to pay half of whatever it receives for the land to the state.

This is a link to my prior post about my call with Anton about his proposal.

BELOW IS THE MEETING NOTICE FROM the TOWN WEBSITE:

TOWN OF MEDFIELD
MEETING
NOTICE
Posted in accordance with the provisions of M.G.L. c. 30A, §§18-25
This meeting will be held in a hybrid format. The Select Board will attend in person and
members of the public may attend in person. In addition, members of the public who wish to
participate via Zoom may do so by joining by one of the following options:

  1. To join online, use this link:
    https://medfield-net.zoom.us/j/88530366678?pwd=clhLODVKcnlDN3dFTDJWQjBCVzJ5Zz09
    a. Webinar ID: 885 3036 6678
    b. Password: 637025
  2. To join through a conference call, dial 929-436-2866 or 312-626-6799 or 253-215-8782
    or 301-715-8592 or 346-248-7799 or 669-900-6833
    a. Enter the Webinar ID: 885 3036 6678
    b. Enter the password: 637025
    Select Board
    Board or Committee
    PLACE OF MEETING DAY, DATE, AND TIME
    Chenery Hall, Medfield Town House
    Remote participation available through Zoom Tuesday, February 25, 2025 at 6:00 pm
    Agenda (Subject to Change)
    Call to Order
    6:00PM Presentation by Onyx Partners Ltd. regarding their proposal for a portion of the 40 acres
    of town-owned property located at Map 63, Parcel 004 Hospital Road also known as Parcel B of
    the former Medfield State Hospital property
    6:45PM Questions and Public Comment
    7:30PM Adjourn

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Posted in Buildings, Development, Medfield State Hospital, Select Board matters

Sports facility proposed for town land South of Hospital Road area to NW of McCarthy Park

Posted on January 8, 2025 | 1 comment

The town has been approached by Anton Melchionda of Dover about building a basketball facility on the town owned land at the part of the former Medfield State Hospital site that is South of Hospital Road and to the Northwest of McCarthy Park – at the left side in the aerial view above. He is scheduled to present his proposal at a February 25 Select Board meeting, but I thought people would want to know more about the proposal now where it came up at last night’s Select Board meeting in relationship both to its potential to increase the traffic on Hospital Road and the annual town meeting (ATM) warrant article place holder created for it.

Anton has met with Town Administrator, Kristine Trierweiler and all three Select Board members. I am sharing below my notes of my telephone call with him.

Per the town’s agreement with the state when the town purchased the former MSH property, the town may develop up to 12 acres of its 38 acres of land South of Hospital Road. Plus we have to pay half of any sales price we receive to the state.

My current thoughts:

(1) it would have to be a hugely advantageous project to the town to interest me, as I am currently in no rush to develop the land. I think that land will only gain a lot of value once the Trinity project is built. NB that the town also retains the 12 acre Arboretum parcel at the front of the former MSH site, which could be exceedingly valuable if the town adjusted the zoning;

(2) if the project assisted the Medfield Park & Recreation Commission with their programs, that would be important to me. I am currently unclear how much value the proposal would provide to MPRC, as the details are lacking. I did sense that MPRC would get time to use the facility when the developer’s groups are not using it, but the problem with that is that everyone wants to use the facility at the same time, namely, when the kids are not in school.

(3) any buildings should be in the back field that hugs the railroad tracks (at the bottom left in the aerial view above) so as to be as far from Hospital Road and the view scape from Hospital Road as possible.

(4) nothing should be built on the sledding hill or near Hospital Road.

==========================================

Telephone call from Anton Melchionda
December 17, 2024 (1:03pm)

  1. Avenue Restaurant partner with childhood friend Josh
  2. Grew up in Amherst
  3. Lived on Tubwreck in Medfield
  4. Works in Needham
  5. Happenstance with MSH due to walking and sledding there
  6. Runs a club program for about 1,000 families around Boston –
  7. One year in to looking to build a facility
  8. Public private partnership for South of Hospital Road
  9. His core business is RE development, office in Needham – Onyx Partners – does
    a. Retail
    b. Warehouses and logistics
    c. Multifamily Housing
    d. Mainly outside Massachusetts – land too expensive
  10. White Mamba BB
    a. With Brian Calabrini = former Celtic
  11. Bay State Jaguars = young woman’s program, national, but Massachusetts focus
    a. Programs are for grades 1-12
  12. Operating both programs are 501c3’s
  13. BB is their focus – kids are multi-sport athletes
  14. Would not compete with Kingsbury Club’s pickleball and tennis
  15. Courts could be available for community uses
  16. Plan to provide outdoor fields
  17. Provide training, athletics, and comfort for people using facility
  18. Would make an 8 figure financial commitment
  19. Medfield Park & Recreation Commission could be part of their project – ? Specifics
  20. Needs to know what they need to present to town
  21. Wants to get decision by annual town meeting (ATM) this year
  22. Have tried elsewhere it sounded like
  23. I cautioned about municipal projects taking longer
    a. They are self funded, unlike Trinity

1 Comment

Posted in Development, Medfield Park & Recreation Commission, Medfield State Hospital, Select Board matters, Sports

MSH earned another APA award this week

Posted on December 13, 2024 | 1 comment

Former Town Planner, Sarah Raposa, had put the Medfield State Hospital project in for the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association’s 2024 Community of the Year Award for our work on the reuse and development of the former Medfield State Hospital site. Town Administrator, Kristine Trierweiler and Sarah traveled to Sturbridge this week to pick up the award.

The Medfield State Hospital and Steve Nolan were both honored a few years ago for the Medfield State Hospital project as well, the posting about which can be found by searching this blog. From memory Steve Nolan was the APA Massachusetts Chapter Volunteer of the Year at that time for his work chairing the Medfield State Hospital reuse committee.

Photo by Kristine Trierweiler.

1 Comment

Posted in Development, Medfield State Hospital, Planning

MAPC issues report on IE district

Posted on October 9, 2024 | Comments Off on MAPC issues report on IE district

MAPC’S PLAN CAN BE ACCESSED HERE.

My thumbnail summary: 2 recommendation for zoning changes:

Recommendation #1: Reflect Priority Uses in the Zoning (= rewrite use regulations.)

Recommendation #2: Update Dimensional Regulations (= rewrite the dimensional regulations.)

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Posted in Buildings, Development, MAPC, Planning, Zoning

WEST & RTE 27

Posted on August 24, 2024 | 9 comments

Town Administrator, Kristine Trierweiler shared her Summer 2024 TOWN ADMINISTRATOR UPDATE with Select Board at our meeting on Tuesday, and I especially wanted to share the part below in blue font which is a follow up about the planned improvements to the West Street and RTE 27 intersection. At the Select Board meeting, Kris shared that in her meeting with MASSDOT that the state said that if Medfield builds the roundabout, as the state wants, that the state would find the town all of the monies to construct the roundabout. Whereas if we opt to install a traffic light, we will have to pay the entire $1.9m. cost on out own dime, as we will lose the $1.3m. Federal earmark.

To be clear, this Select Board member preferred the roundabout from the outset. It was the other two Select Board members who said they preferred the traffic light and who asked to have Kris pursue the traffic light option with the state.

The town now has the roundabout, which the MASSDOT traffic engineers say is the safest alternative, available to the town at no cost, versus a less safe traffic light option that will cost the town $1.9m. – should be an easy choice. If the town builds the traffic lights, your family’s share would be $4-5,000.

West Street and Route 27 Project Update

Maurice Goulet, Director of Public Works and I met with Beta Engineering and the MADOT engineering team to discuss the two different paths forward for the project as requested by the Select Board. For the first path, MADOT has confirmed that if we would like to utilize the 1.3 million dollar earmark we would have to continue with the MADOT process and that would include the consideration of a roundabout for this location. The total cost of that project is $1.9, however, MADOT indicated they would assist the Town in securing the remaining funding. MADOT believes that this location would benefit from a roundabout design. The next step if the Select Board elects this option is to go to the 25% design threshold.

9 Comments

Posted in Development, DPW, Federal Government, Planning, Safety, State, Transportation

Starbucks renovations

Posted on July 25, 2024 | 3 comments

The last two days I had to walk back and forth to the downtown. Both days I asked the people working on the Starbucks why the place was being renovated, and today I struck paydirt. Today I happened to have asked the store manager for the last five years as he was retrieving things from one of the two massive containers out front.

The answer was that Starbucks started as exclusively a coffee place, without any food at all, but that now half of its business is cold drinks, including many fruit juices. Secondly, they now are also selling lots of foods. Thirdly, this particular store turned out to be a lot busier than it was originally projected to be. So the renovation was done to service both the broader and greater demands of the current customers.

BTW, the first person I asked yesterday had no idea – he was likely one of the workmen for a contractor.

3 Comments

Posted in Buildings, Development, Downtown