Density is sticking point in
Plymouth Rubber talks
By Jay Turner
Citizen Staff
According to
Planning Board Chairman George Jenkins, residents can expect a
“bloodbath” at this year’s town meeting if the Planning Board
and the owners of the Plymouth Rubber property fail to settle
their differences and are forced to move forward, as expected,
with separate zoning articles.
Jenkins’
comments came just days after a contentious meeting between the
two sides in which the major sticking point continued to be the
density of the proposed mixed-use development. One member even
suggested that the site remain zoned for industrial uses — an
idea that, according to some who are close to the issue,
indicates that negotiations are moving in the wrong direction.
Napleton
attorney Paul Schneiders said the company recently made what it
considers to be a “huge concession” when they agreed to reduce
the number of housing units they would be seeking to build from
650 to 550, after months of insisting on the larger figure. The
Planning Board, meanwhile, remains unsatisfied and appears to be
preferring a number closer to 400.
“How do you
arrive at a number? What’s the proper number? How do you get
there?” asked Jenkins rhetorically. He said there are ways to
justify a wide range of numbers; but in the end, he said, the
board will trust its own judgment.
“We will go
with what we determine,” said Jenkins. “Forget what Napleton
says. It’s really not a question of anyone blinking.”
Schneiders,
on the other hand, said that his client has “pretty much agreed
to everything the town has asked for,” and cited a peer review
of Napleton’s traffic study, which found that the number of
units is realistic with further mitigation. Describing the
worst-case scenario, he said the company may ultimately decide
to abandon the mixed-use idea if a favorable article is not
passed at town meeting.
“I’m really
afraid that is going to happen,” said Schneiders, who pointed
out that by-laws are passed all the time and never used. “I’m
just hoping that town officials can think outside the box and
give this thing a chance.”
January 17, 2008
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