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Plot thickens
in Napleton' Plymouth Rubber saga
By Jay Turner
Citizen Staff
In the
latest chapter in what has become a real saga involving the
Plymouth Rubber property, Planning Board Chairman Jeremy Comeau
is calling on town officials and residents to pack the Salah
Meeting Room at Town Hall next Wednesday, June 11, at 7:30 p.m.
to hear Napleton make a presentation on a proposed industrial
subdivision plan.
“It’s going
to be a huge meeting,” said Comeau, a two-term member who just
recently took over as chairman. “This will be one of the biggest
decisions the town will make, at least in my six years on the
Planning Board.”
According to
Comeau, the proposed six-lot subdivision could have far-reaching
effects on the entire community if approved, including potential
traffic problems and the possible demolition of the two historic
buildings on the site — the Paul Revere barn and rolling mill.
In reality,
both could still happen even if the plan were rejected on
Wednesday, as Napleton retained the land’s industrial rights
after a mixed-use rezoning attempt failed at town meeting; but
it may leave the town with more options going forward, such as a
second rezoning attempt at a special town meeting or in 2009.
As Napleton
attorney Paul Schneiders explained, however, the subdivision
plan is simply a way for his clients to preserve the value of
their property — something he is sure the town is interested in
as well, at least from a revenue-generating standpoint.
Schneiders
said his clients do not even intend to use the site as a
subdivided industrial park; but according to state law, getting
approval for one would be enough to freeze the industrial use
for a period of eight years, thereby preventing a town board
from securing a zoning, such as general residence, that would
render the land valueless.
Schneiders
noted that the Board of Selectmen had considered pushing for
general residence at town meeting in April. That type of zoning,
he explained, would not permit the owners to build enough units
to cover the cost of cleanup, effectively guaranteeing that the
land would go unused.
“This is a
preemptive strike in case someone tries to rezone the land in a
way that makes it of little or no value,” he said.
Yet
Schneiders also didn’t shy away from the possibility that
Napleton might be able to do without the subdivision approval —
that is, if a single industrial client wants to buy the entire
site, which he said is becoming an increasingly likely
alternative.
One such
company from Indianapolis has expressed serious interest as of
late, and Schneiders said if they were to buy it, they would
probably save the Revere barn, but not the rolling mill. In
fact, since April 28, eight prospective buyers have gone out and
actually toured the property, and more than a dozen others have
made inquiries.
As for the
subdivision plan, one of the key issues that will be discussed
on Wednesday is Napleton’s request of four waivers, which would
allow them to circumvent certain regulations that have been
established by the Planning Board. Without the presence of
waiver requests, the Planning Board’s authority to reject the
proposal would be severely limited.
The bulk of
the waivers involve Napleton’s traffic study, which does not
meet some of the established requirements, although Schneiders
insists it is more than sufficient. They also want the Planning
Board to waive the requirement that they have to stake the
center line of a proposed road in the subdivision, since there
are currently buildings standing where the road would be built.
Schneiders
has already said that his clients’ traffic study, which he
called “massive” and “very expensive,” would become a matter for
the courts if it were not approved.
Comeau,
meanwhile, is urging every member of every town board to attend
on Wednesday, and he said the same goes for the town’s
residents. “Government is run by those who show up,” he said.
If for
whatever reason they cannot attend, however, Comeau said they
should still send in a letter, which he will be sure to read on
the record at the meeting.
June 5, 2008
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