Planners will let TM decide on
density for Plymouth Rubber
By Jay Turner
Citizen Staff
Just weeks
after approaching what appeared to be an unbreakable impasse,
the Planning Board and the owners of the former Plymouth Rubber
site on Revere Street will now go to town meeting with a single
zoning article.
The article,
which was approved by three of the five Planning Board members
last Wednesday and subsequently endorsed by the developer, would
overlay the current industrial zoning to allow for mixed-use,
and includes a compromise on the most highly contested issue —
the density of the proposed development.
For the past
several months, Illinois-based Napleton had insisted on building
at least 650 units of housing, while those on the Planning
Board, with the exception of Chairman George Jenkins, eyed a
number lower than 400. The new article, if approved by voters in
April, would allow for the construction of one unit for every
2,500 square feet, which amounts to a total of 486, given the
roughly 30 acres of buildable space on the property.
Napleton
attorney Paul Schneiders said he is now “very, very optimistic”
about the chances of a mixed-use project being built on the
site, especially now that town meeting can focus on a single
article.
He did say
that there is still a possibility that an abutter will submit
his own article, but attempts by the Citizen to contact
that person were unsuccessful.
It is still
not clear, however, whether the majority of the Planning Board
will support its own article on the floor of town meeting.
According to
board member Jill Hayes, who, along with Chris Connolly, opposed
the latest article, it was her understanding that the board was
planning to submit a motion that would allow for just 338 units
— the density recommended in an earlier version of the article.
Hayes said the board only agreed to raise the number after
Napleton requested that the town should have a chance to decide.
“As elected
officials, I thought the Planning Board should go to town
meeting with a solid article,” said Hayes, who added that the
current article gives the “false impression” that the board
stands behind the larger figure.
Board member
Dean Miller, who represented the swing vote on Wednesday, said
firmly in an interview that “486 is too many,” but agreed with
the notion that the town should have a bigger role in the
process.
Jenkins, on
the other hand, remained steadfast in his opinion that any
density recommendation is arbitrary, noting in an interview that
the suggestion of 338 units was determined no more
scientifically than either 486 or 650. He added that the board’s
peer review of Napleton’s traffic study even endorsed the
developer’s site plan.
“The study
was reviewed by our engineer, paid for by Napleton, and what did
he come back with? He agreed with it,” said Jenkins.
Schneiders,
meanwhile, had nothing but praise for the Planning Board, which
he pointed out has an important but unpaid and often thankless
job.
“Without
exception, [the Planning Board members] have put hundreds of
ours into drafting and negotiating what seems to be a very good,
mixed-use article,” said Schneiders.
He said the
Planning Board “gets put down a lot,” but should be
congratulated by the town for getting the developer to yield on
a number of issues they felt strongly about, such as capping the
building heights at 40 feet.
In addition
to supporting the Planning Board’s article, Napleton has also
finished drafting a town meeting covenant, which Schneiders said
would provide $5 million in benefits to the town if approved.
Half of that figure would be spent on preserving and putting to
use the two historic buildings on the site — the Revere Barn and
Revere Rolling Mill — while the remaining money would go toward
other mitigation measures, such as a $400,000 repair of an
abutting spillway owned by the town and the construction of
sidewalks and walking trails.
Napleton
would also agree to build a 17,000 square-foot community center
to be shared between residents of the development and community
members, including seniors. Schneiders called it a fair
compromise for those who have spent the past few years pushing
for a stand-alone center for seniors only.
While he is
encouraged by the prospects of a unified article, Schneiders
reiterated a warning he has made for several months now — that
his clients, if not approved for enough units, would not be able
to afford the extensive cleanup that would be required and
therefore would leave the site industrial. In that case, he
said, there would be no benefits by way of a covenant, and all
the people who had hoped for a “smart growth” project, including
all five Planning Board members, would end up empty-handed.
Even in a
recent meeting between Napleton and approximately 40 abutters,
Schneiders said everyone was “very enthusiastic” and “very
supportive” of the mixed-use project — a project, he pointed
out, that would be within a five-minute walk of two train
stations.
In
related news:
• Napleton
met with the Board of Assessors to inquire about a claim, made
recently by one outspoken critic, that the site would generate
significantly more tax revenue if it remained industrial because
the buildings are taxed at twice the residential rate.
Schneiders
said the assessors confirmed his clients’ suspicions — that that
logic is “simplistic and stupid,” and that the amount of revenue
depends more on the value of the assessment than it does on the
rate. He said the current Plymouth Rubber site generates around
$100,000 in annual revenue for the town, while the Napleton
project would generate $1.7 million in annual revenue.
• Napleton
also met with Superintendent of Schools John D’Auria, School
Committee Chairman John Bonnanzio and Business Manager Ken Leon
to discuss some of the school department’s concerns, including
the effect the project will have on enrollment figures.
Schneiders
said he thought the meeting was “very productive,” with Napleton
agreeing to pay for a peer review of its fiscal impact report,
which projected minimal enrollment increases, and also willing
to consider some “safety net” measures if the schools’
enrollment concerns become a reality.
Schneiders
said they are scheduled to meet with the School Committee on
Thursday, February 28.
February 21, 2008
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