Category Archives: Development

Hospital Road 40B

Posted on April 22, 2016 | 4 comments

20160420-plan & OLP notes_Page_1

Town officials have been meeting with the Larkin Brothers and their representatives to see if and how the town can impact the Larkins’ proposed 40B development off Hospital Road just before the DRC fields at the former Medfield State Hospital.  Most recently Mike Sullivan, Sarah Raposa, Kristine Trierweiler, Frank Perry, Ralph Costello, and I met with the Larkins this past Wednesday, at which point they brought along their architect and engineer, and shared the above plan.  This version of the plan is less dense than the prior plan, and has more first floor master suites to address the need in town for housing for the empty nesters.

The current iteration of the plan is down to 48 units, in an ownership condominium complex:

  • units range in size from 1700-2900 square feet
  • anticipated sale prices range from $500-650,000
  • 32 of 48 units will have first floor master suites
  • there are 116 bedrooms total
  • there are 24 singles and 24 duplexes
  • 12 units has 4 bedrooms, and the rest are 2 bedrooms (with a den) or 3 bedrooms
  • 8 of the 4 bedroom ones have the master suite upstairs (I would prefer fewer of these)
  • 8 of the 3 bedroom ones have the master suite upstairs (I would prefer fewer of these)
  • the density is 6 unit per acre
  • we discussed having a condo covenant to prohibit finished basements

The Larkins left the current plans with Twon Planner, Sarah Raposa.  The Larkins said they are just weeks away from filing with the state.  The look will be similar to  Grover Place on North Street that the Larkins are just finishing.  In the plan above, the top right house will not be part of the 40B, and they are looking to build that unit ASAP, to be a model sales unit for the 40B.  That house is planned on the lot that is currently the fifth house in from the fields.  The lines on the above plan are where I suggested they might consider putting connector paths out to the state DCR lands or what will ultimately become the town lands, that are now owned by the Amnotts.

All 40B proposals are permitted by the ZBA,  and my suggestion was that it behooved the town to see if the town could positively impact the proposal before the Larkins’ plans were finalized, and that is why these meetings are happening.  Town endorsement of the Larkins’ final plans might well assist them in their ZBA permitting process, and so both sides have much to gain by getting to a consensus plan.

 

4 Comments

Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Development, Uncategorized

DOWNTOWN SUMMIT – 3-8PM today

Posted on February 9, 2016 | Comments Off on DOWNTOWN SUMMIT – 3-8PM today

Come by to share your views and thereby help to shape the future of our downtown.

Downtown Summit

As I think about how to make the downtown better in advance of the summit, I focus on our need for more retail space.  I think we lack a sufficient amount and density of retail shops for our downtown to be as vibrant as it should be.

Therefore, I go back to what I think was the  biggest missed opportunity of all time for Medfield, when what is now the Montrose School’s property was for sale.  The land was zoned for business uses, but no one wanted to site a business in that location.  The brokers had many high quality developers lined up ready to do mixed use developments, with retail on the  first floor and housing above, but Mike and the other selectmen would not consider the zoning change needed to allow those mixed use developments to happen.  So instead we  got a school that did not need to comply with zoning, and we also lost the $150,000 per year in taxes that had been paid by Tofias, and the much greater tax revenue that would have flowed from the mixed use development.

Perhaps we can solve this issue by rezoning more areas for retail uses.

 

 

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Posted in Development, Downtown, Uncategorized

LCB at ZBA per Globe

Posted on February 6, 2016 | Comments Off on LCB at ZBA per Globe

LCB

Boston Globe article on the ZBA hearing this week.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/regionals/west/2016/02/05/assisted-living-plan-sparks-opposition-medfield/SYjr1F8XMHlaofLrza4ykN/story.html

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Posted in Development, Downtown, Uncategorized, Zoning

Assisted living ATM articles

Posted on January 28, 2016 | 1 comment

town meeting

I just finished a long phone conversation with Mike Sullivan and Mark Cerel about several topics, including the warrant articles I asked at the selectmen meeting this week to have added to the annual town meeting (ATM) warrant, to deal with the issue that the 2012 town meeting vote to permit assisted living in residential zones was based on data that was only available in the Town Clerk’s office.

I had originally proposed at the Board of Selectmen meeting two articles:

  1. One first to vote again on the 2012 zoning change, but this time with full information, and
  2. A second vote to undo the 2012 zoning change.

 

As we talked it through, I realized that the second article could be made to do the same thing as the first article anyway.  Town Counsel was also noting out that the former would be difficult to do at this point where the zoning change had already both passed at the town meeting and been approved by the Attorney General.

The way we left it was that Town Counsel and Mike would prepare two articles for teh upcoming annual town meeting on April 25:

  1. The first one would change the use table back to what it was before 2012 for “Public, Semi-public Institutional” uses, and
  2. The second one would do the same for “Commercial” uses.

Those two votes would effectively re-vote the 2012 town meeting vote, so those articles satisfy my goal of allowing the town residents to decide this zoning change (to permit assisted living in residential zones, upon a discretionary special permit from the ZBA) upon full information at the town meeting.

 

1 Comment

Posted in Development, Legal, Permitting, Planning, Zoning

Zoning articles for the ATM

Posted on January 27, 2016 | Comments Off on Zoning articles for the ATM

town meeting

At the Board of Selectmen meeting last night I made a motion, that was unanimously supported by all the selectmen, that directed the Town Administrator, Mike Sullivan, to draft the two articles for the warrant for the annual town meeting (ATM) on April 25:

  1. The first article is to basically re-vote the 2012 zoning change vote that purportedly allowed assisted living facilities in residential zones, and
  2. The second article would allow the residents to undo that 2012 vote, if that purported 2012 change was in fact valid, and also further, if the residents, now with full information, decide that they do not want it.

My motion also asked the Town Administrator to follow up with the Planning Board to ask that the Planning Board follow through on vetting the articles to the annual town meeting (ATM).

This was my attempt to correct what I see as a 2012 ATM vote that was taken without all the necessary information in front of the residents at the time, since I am told that  the actual language was not available at the ATM, and that one had to visit the Town Clerk’s office to see the actual language.  I do not feel people should be asked to vote on bylaw language changes that are not presented and/or readily available to them.

It is my understanding from what I have heard others say that the Planning Board is required to hold hearings on any zoning change, so I expect that the Planning Board would have to hold such hearing if my suggested warrant articles are to proceed to the annual town meeting (ATM).

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Posted in Development, Permitting, Planning, Town Meeting, Zoning

LCB to ZBA 1/27

Posted on January 20, 2016 | Comments Off on LCB to ZBA 1/27

LCB

LCB Senior Living’s proposed 78 unit assisted living facility on almost 14 acres of land, zoned for residential use, located behind and around the Peak House and Clark Tavern goes before the ZBA at 7:30 PM on 1/27/16 for a hearing, as per the legal notice below.

At issue is:

  • whether the 2012 annual town meeting vote actually changed town zoning to permit such a commercial use in a residential zone, given that the language of the printed 2012 ATM warrant article does not appear to make that change.
  • whether, if the 2012 zoning change does now allow for assisted living in residential zones,  the ZBA will use its discretion to decide whether this assisted living proposal is in the town’s best interest at this site.

I had a call today from a Boston Globe reporter about LCB’s petition, who already appeared quite knowledgeable about the issues.

 

ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS
Board or Committee
PLACE OF MEETING                                 DAY, DATE, AND TIME
Town Hall, 2nd Floor, Chenery Room                              Wednesday, January 27, 2016  at
7:30 pm
AGENDA (Subject to change)

7:30 PM – LCB Senior Living of Norwood, MA seeks a special permit pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 40A, Sec. 9; and the following sections of the Medfield Zoning Bylaw: 300 Attachment 1.2-2.8; 300-14.10;  300-14.12; 300-5.2; 300-5.4; 300 Attachment 2; 300 Attachment 3; Article 8; and Article 16 for the proposed construction and associated grading of a 78-unit/85 bed, 2.5 story, assisted living residence and appurtenant structures. The property consists of Assessors parcels 43-183 (Main St) and 43-184 (Main St), owned by LCB Medfield, LLC; 51-071 (Rear Main St) owned by Stephen J. and Lynne E. Browne; and 43-066 (361 Main St) owned by Gloria S. Yankee. The total area of these parcels consists of approx. 13.78 acres in an RS Zoning District with Secondary Aquifer Overlay.

Any additional business that came in after the deadline that must be discusses prior to the next meeting

OLD BUSINESS/ NEW BUSINESS / MINUTES / VOUCHERS/ INFORMATIONAL

Signature
1/14/16

 

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Posted in Development, Permitting, Zoning

40B #2 of the week

Posted on December 4, 2015 | 2 comments

40b

A second 40B development appears to be coming, this one on Rte. 27 at the Walpole line, per the email yesterday from town planner, Sarah Raposa –

Interestingly, we received another call this afternoon regarding a potential 40B. I was not familiar with the developer. He inquired about how close we were to the 10% goal and what other projects were being built/proposed. He indicated he had a site identified (two abutting parcels) on High Street near the town line for 8-12 units. They would be duplexes, ownership, and 25% affordable.

I will keep you posted.

Best,

Sarah

2 Comments

Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Development

Former Mozer property to be a 40B

Posted on December 2, 2015 | Comments Off on Former Mozer property to be a 40B

A 40B development will apparently be going in on the Hospital Road land formerly owned by Keith and Debbie Mozer, which is next to the former Medfield State Hospital fields.  A 5 lot development is thereby converted into a 30 lot one.  This email today from the Town Planner, Sarah Raposa –

 

Planning Board members –

Just wanted to keep you in the loop on this: The 5-lot Country Estates subdivision was recently sold to the Larkins (developers of Glover Place on North Street). They came in today to let me know that they intend to develop the property as a 40B. It will be similar in design and density to Glover Place (with a first floor bedroom). At that point don’t know exactly how many units to expect [but Glover Place is approximately 6 units per acre, so maybe 30 units?]. The units will be ownership and 25% will be affordable and count towards the Town’s subsidized housing inventory (and land area calculation). They suspect that they’ll have a formal application to submit to the town in approximately 30 days.

I’ll keep everyone posted on the process.

Best,

Sarah

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Posted in Affordable housing / 40B, Development

Met with MA Secretary of Housing & Economic Development

Posted on October 30, 2015 | Comments Off on Met with MA Secretary of Housing & Economic Development

Jay Ash

Yesterday morning Mike Sullivan, Richard DeSorgher and I met with Jay Ash, the Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development to learn what the state can do to assist Medfield with our economic development and housing issues (see photo above).

After that four town meeting (Wrentham, Norfolk, Walpole, and Medfield) at the Wrentham Town Hall, Medfield showed the Secretary the former Medfield State Hospital site (see photo below).

Jay Ash at MSH

My main take aways:

  • the opportunities to get the MSH site listed as ready for development on the MassEcon 100,
  • to have the man who talks to more developers than any one else in the state be able to talk up our site, and
  • to just have the man who administers all state economic development and housing monies know about the MSH site and its expected development so he can help get the word out and be knowledgeable if and when grant applications are made.

Interesting tidbits learned during the discussions:

  • Electric Time reportedly could not complete on price with what The Parc was willing to pay for that site, so an industrial site became a residential site, and
  • Walpole is negotiating with an international company to site a facility that will provide 600 jobs – company is looking for 90% reduction in its taxes.

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Posted in Development, Medfield State Hospital, State

LCB’s proposed assisted living

Posted on September 17, 2015 | Comments Off on LCB’s proposed assisted living

Peak House & Clark Tavern

LCB of Norwood is proposing to build a 78 unit assisted living facility on a large tract of land zoned for residential use on Rte. 109 behind the Peak House and the Clark Tavern.  The land is actually U shaped and so large that it fronts on Rte. 109 in two places on both sides of those and the other intervening properties.

As the first step in the required permitting process, LCB has applied to the Conservation Commission for needed permissions to do work near the wetlands.  I asked to have that LCB application put on-line, because I figured there would be lots of interest.  Deb had a hard copy from being on the ConCom, so I was able to review that one.

The on-line version is at the town website under the ConCom section (look under the heading on the right captioned FORMS & PUBLICATIONS, there seem to be three PDF files) –

http://www.town.medfield.net/index.cfm/page/Land-and-Property/pid/21353

When this proposal first surfaced, I reviewed the current zoning bylaw and its recent amendment at the 2012 town meeting, when the town added assisted living facilities as permitted uses, and I concluded that there is a serious legal question as to whether assisted living facilities are in fact a permitted use in residential zones in Medfield.  I assume that issue will get fully vetted and sorted out when the permitting gets before the ZBA.

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Posted in Buildings, Development, Permitting