As part of my Select Board office hours this morning I met with Geoff Sauter, the President of the Friends of the Dwight-Derby House, Inc. Geoff shared with me the drawing below that Geoff said George Horatio Derby drew when a youth from his bedroom window in the Dwight-Derby House.
What becomes clear as one looks at the drawing is that the First Parish Meeting House building was then facing North Street. At some point the building was rotated 90 degrees to its current orientation – I wonder why? Other changes I noted were the different steeple, the bump out behind the alter that is no longer exists, and no town clock. I heard that the church’s steeple blew down in the 1938 Hurricane and was reconstructed.
I like seeing the model sailboat on the pond, as it reminds me that I sailed model boats in large fountains or artificial ponds in parks in London as a kid.
Special Edition – March 26, 2024IMPORTANT UPCOMING PUBLIC HEARINGS
There’s a lot to digest with the MBTA CommunitiesZoning article coming up for a vote at this year’s Town Meeting on Monday, May 6 at 7 p.m. in the Medfield High School gym. Here are two chances to learn more, ask questions, and become better informed far in advance of the meeting:
(Do you plan to attend? Would an in-person information session before Town Meeting be helpful? Your feedback here will be relayed to town officials.Questions can also be directed to Maria De La Fuente, Director of Land Use and Planning; phone 508-906-3027).
Three quick takeaways MBTA Communities Act only requires special zoning to be created — there is no town mandate to build housing.
Towns retain a certain amount of control over what gets built and where under MBTA Communities Zoning, and no land is taken against an owner’s will because of the law. Towns become ineligible for state funds due to failure to enact MBTA Communities Zoning by their deadline (Dec. 31, 2024 for Medfield).
Much is at stake with MSH As noted by Abby Goldenfarb, VP at Trinity Financial, the firm charged with redeveloping the former Medfield State Hospital (MSH) site, “It is imperative that the Town prioritizes compliance with the state housing law requirements imposed by the MBTA Communities Act.”
In a recent letter to the Select Board, Goldenfarb explained that if a successful town meeting vote is not achieved — as mandated by law — the town will no longer be eligible for the millions of dollars of state grants on which Trinity depends for creation of MSH infrastructure and other redevelopment needs.
Town officials have acknowledged that the new law has created unique challenges for Medfield – a town that has been diligently increasing affordable housing, and created the MSH redevelopment master plan to help achieve its objectives. It has taken more than 10 years for the MSH vision to come to fruition.
“We realize there has been some frustration with the mandate, but the upcoming vote is not the time for any of us to be tilting windmills. For Medfield especially, so much of our state hospital progress is on the line if we do not comply with the new law,” said Select Board member Gus Murby at a recent forum. “Thanks to the work of the Planning Board, we have a solid path forward that will allow us to adhere to the mandate, while still respecting the character of our town.”
A short explanation The word “zoning” can often make eyes glaze over, but it simply means establishing a set of rules for how land is used, regulating the structures that go on it, and guiding development decisions.
Massachusetts cities and towns have been given the authority to adopt their own ordinances and bylaws. However, in the case of MBTA Communities Zoning, the state is mandating that Medfield and many other Commonwealth communities enact specific multi-family housing zoning by right based on proximity to MBTA transit services.
Medfield has been deemed an “adjacent town” because of its proximity to the Walpole and Norfolk MBTA Commuter Rail.
No mandate to build As stressed by town officials, the MBTA Zoning law in no way requires that multi-family housing must be built – only that the town rules and regulations (via zoning bylaws) must permit the development plans. However, unlike the 40B law, the MBTA Communities Act gives towns and cities more flexibility to establish certain parameters and exclusions, which could involve protection of wetlands, historic structures and conservation land.
Arriving at a proposal Based on Medfield’s “Adjacent Community” status, the state is requiring the town to create zoning that would allow for a total of 50 acres providing a minimum capacity of 750 multi-family units (once again, this refers to zoning only — there is no actual requirement for the units to be built).
The total unit quota can be reached a variety of ways. For example, no town or city is expected to create one site that can house all of the required units – the state allows multiple districts to be created, as long as certain requirements are met for density, size and contiguity. After the Medfield Planning Board analyzed all of the variables, allowances, and restrictions underlying the law and took into consideration public feedback, it settled on three town areas (“districts”) to propose for MBTA Zoning compliance at Town Meeting:
The PARC Medfield Gardens (with Olde Village Square) Core downtown
With substantial amounts of multi-family housing already located in the districts identified for rezoning, town planners have been able to minimize potential negative impacts of new construction that may be pursued down the road as a result of the MBTA Communities law. (Pictured: 71 North St., a relatively new multi-housing development with eight units in the core downtown district.)
The path forward Developing the MBTA Zoning proposal for the town has taken substantial time and effort, and has benefited from the guidance of independent consultants. Multiple officials have recently stated they believe the Town Meeting proposal is the best possible path forward for Medfield to adhere to the mandate.
“We encourage Medfield community members to attend an upcoming hearing and review as much information as possible beforehand, so that questions and concerns can be addressed far in advance of Town Meeting,” said Town Administrator Kristine Treirweiler.
From the Charles River Chamber of Commerce newsletter – a cheap $4 m. transformation –
Proakis and Speck returning to Harvard
Finally this morning, when urban planner Jeff Speck spoke at our annual Fall Business Breakfast last November, he shared a quick sketch he made showing one way to make Watertown Square a calmer, more efficient, and inviting place. “I took one hour, off the clock, to investigate the worst part of Watertown,” Speck said. Speck said his idea was based on a similar design challenge in Poynton, England. (There’s an eye-opening videoexploring that transformation: Don’t miss the part where all the naysayers at the beginning, later admit they were wrong.) That sketch, is particularly interesting now as Watertown prepares to embark on a reimagining Watertown Square as part of the city’s updated Comprehensive Plan. It’s also interesting because Speck has had a long-time collaboration with Watertown City Manager George Proakis, which dates back to when Proakis worked in Somerville and he was a featured speaker at a highly regarded two-day class Speck teaches at Harvard. Proakis will be back in front of the classroom when Speck’s The Walkable City class returns in June.
Posted onMarch 29, 2022|Comments Off on 27th Annual Student Faculty Show – 4/7 opening reception
From Kate Jones, K-12 Art Department Chair, Medfield Public Schools –
For the twenty-seventh year, the Zullo Gallery, in collaboration with the K-12 Visual Arts faculty of the Medfield Public Schools, is hosting its Annual Student-Faculty Art Exhibit. The Zullo Gallery offers a fantastic opportunity for deserving student artwork to receive special notice by our community in a professional gallery setting. The show is designed to highlight student work and pieces are chosen as examples of student learning within the art curriculum. This year’s exhibit will be held from April 2nd through April 24th.
We are excited for the return of the in-person reception on April 7th from 5-7pm. Please join us to celebrate these artists with their art teachers.
The Zullo Gallery is also open every Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon until 5 PM. Over the course of the exhibit, the Zullo Gallery is typically visited by hundreds of viewers, enjoying the display of our wonderful student artwork.
Comments Off on 27th Annual Student Faculty Show – 4/7 opening reception
Posted onJuly 14, 2021|Comments Off on Post-COVID planning for downtown – please take the survey
From Town Planner, Sarah Raposa –
In December 2020, the Town of Medfield submitted an application to the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to take part in the Local Rapid Recovery Planning Program (LRRP). The LRRP is intended to provide municipalities in Massachusetts with the opportunity to develop actionable, project-based recovery plans tailored to the unique economic challenges and COVID-19 related impacts to downtowns, town centers and commercial areas across the Commonwealth. Additional information is available on the LRRP website.
There are three phases for this program:
Phase 1 (Diagnostic) was completed from April to June 2021 and included data collection from the study area (see below for a map of the study area, Note: not shown, but the study area includes Basil’s on Frairy Street) to assess the current state of the physical environment and its impacts on customers and businesses and the impacts of COVID-19 on businesses in the study area.
Phase 2 (Project Recommendations) is currently ongoing and involves reviewing data compiled during Phase 1 and obtaining feedback from the community to develop recommendations for projects intended to help Medfield achieve its recovery goals.
Phase 3 (Rapid Recovery Plan Development) will be completed in August 2021 and will involve development of strategic project recommendations based on information gathered in Phases 1 and 2 and best practices collected from communities throughout the Commonwealth and the country. BerryDunn was paired with the Town to serve as Plan Facilitator for the program. On April 14, 2021 a BerryDunn team conducted a site visit of Medfield’s study area. The team collected data on the physical and business environment and presented findings to the Board of Selectmen on June 1, 2021. The BerryDunn team is currently working with Town officials to obtain feedback from the community for Phase 2. Please use the links in the survey to provide your thoughts on the study area, including suggestions for physical improvements, regulatory changes, economic development challenges, or simply your experience as a business owner, employee, customer, resident, or visitor to downtown Medfield.
The LRRP approach considers six facets of downtown economic development including:
Public Realm: streets, sidewalks, public parks and other public spaces
Private Realm: commercial buildings, storefronts, parking lots and open space on private property
Revenue & Sales: strategies for increasing revenue of existing businesses; issues impacting business growth and customer traffic
Administrative Capacity: government regulations, staffing and oversight; organizational management of the district or business association
Culture & Arts: public art, arts and cultural institutions, businesses, events, educational facilities, etc.
Tenants Mix: attraction and retention of businesses and particular business types
Comments, suggestions and ideas are loosely organized in these categories above and can be posted on the Ideas Wall or by using the Study Area Map.
Posted onJune 4, 2021|Comments Off on Arbor Day celebration yesterday
Select Board Chair Michael Marcucci reads the Arbor Day proclamation yesterday afternoon, while the Brownie Troop that arranged for the two cherry trees to be planted in front of the post office look on and then mulched the trees. The DPW’s Robert Kennedy, Jr. assisted the Brownies with the mulch.
Photos by Pamela Bates
Pam McCarthy and Kate Holmes, the Leaders of Brownie Troop 82076 stated:
“The girls felt special, and so happy to get together (in person, hooray!) as a group to do something meaningful for the town. Those beautiful cherry trees will be there for years to come, and I’m sure each time they drive by, they will fondly remember that those are ‘their trees.’ And we, as their parents, will take pride in thinking the same! What a wonderful way to wrap up the school year for them!”
DPW’s Drew Dauphinee at the tree and Joe Gorman running the machine
Today the DPW’s Drew Dauphinee and Joe Gorman are planting two good sized cherry trees on the berm in front of the post office. The Town of Medfield owns that site and leases it for the post office to use. North Street is starting to achieve a critical mass of cherry trees for the town to build on, starting with the large one at the Bank of America up through the cluster Bob Borrelli installed in front of his two buildings across from Deb’s and my office.
Jean Mineo was heard to think that once there are six more cherry trees along North Street that she will organize an annual Medfield cherry blossom festival.
Posted onMarch 18, 2021|Comments Off on Survey of downtown businesses
From Town Planner, Sarah Raposa –
The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) Local Rapid Recovery Plan (LRRP) program includes a survey of local business owners located in the targeted downtowns or commercial districts. The purpose of the survey is to obtain business input to help guide strategy development, garner buy-in from the local business community and provide data from all LRRP participating districts for DHCD to inform programs and policy.
The survey will be administered online and the same survey will be used in all communities. FinePoint Associates. After the survey closes, FinePoint will prepare a summary results report for each community. The report produced will provide results in aggregate form only so that the results will be anonymous. These results will contribute input for the diagnostic phase and help inform plan development.
I started this blog to share the interesting and useful information that I saw while doing my job as a Medfield select board member. I thought that my fellow Medfield residents would also find that information interesting and useful as well. This blog is my effort to assist in creating a system to push the information out from the Town House to residents. Let me know if you have any thoughts on how it can be done better.
For information on my other job as an attorney (personal injury, civil litigation, estate planning and administration, and real estate), please feel free to contact me at 617-969-1500 or Osler.Peterson@OslerPeterson.com.
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