Langwood Commons a little less bountiful
Published on September 28th, 2005
The Langwood Commons project at the Boston Regional Medical Center will net approximately $100,000 less in one-time revenues to the town after the Selectmen approved a change to its covenant agreement on Tuesday night.
On last Friday, the town's Zoning Board of Appeals filed a 27-page decision granting the 450-unit, mixed-use development permission to move towards receiving state approvals for the project, if an appeal of the ZBA decision isn't issued.
On the heels of that formal filing at the town clerk's office - the ZBA unanimously approved the project by a vocal vote last July 28 and has since then been considering conditions to impose on the 450-unit housing development - the town's Board of Selectmen accepted two amendments Tuesday night to its covenant and development agreements with petitioner Simpson Housing, LP.
Because the 450 dwelling chapter 40B project exceeded a unit-count cap that allows municipalities to reject such large scale developments outright, the Gutierrez Company and Simpson Housing, LP, engaged in a 'friendly 40B' process, which sought preliminary approval from the Selectmen prior to filing for local and state permit permissions.
As a condition of the board's endorsement, the Selectmen and the developers entered into two agreements which required the project to retain a certain number of housing units and to pay the town a flat fee for potential capital and personnel needs caused by the project's impacts on municipal services.
However, because the ZBA reduced the total number of dwellings from 550 to 450 units, the developers were violating those two agreements, forcing them to re-approach the Selectmen for amendments to the binding deals.
Previously cited by town officials as netting approximately $550,000 in revenues, the mitigation covenant now cites that the town will net more than $100,000 less for personnel and capital needs that arise as the result of the housing project's drain on municipal services. The maximum benefit is now listed at approximately $445,000.
"The way the mitigation covenant worked, it was so much per unit. And now there's 100 less units. So that mitigation covenant number went down because of that. But that actual tax revenue from the project is approximately $20,000 more because of that reduction," explained Attorney Charlie Houghton, who represents the petitioners.
The Selectmen agreed to the change, which will pay $1,320 for each market rate dwelling, without any debate in a 3-0-2 vote. The board similarly endorsed a change to the development agreement, primarily language that deals with the number of and make-up of dwellings at the site.
448 Main Street
The town's Board of Selectmen also unanimously endorsed a site plan that will transform a vacant and fenced-off Main Street lot near the Spartan hardware store into a mixed-use development.
According to Houghton, who represented petitioner Robert Pecci, his client was proposing to transform the undersized 5000 square foot lot into a building containing 800 square feet of retail space that's topped a pair of two-bedroom, townhouse-style residences.
"This has been before the planning board for a special permit. It's a very small lot of about 5000 square feet. Anytime you have residential above the first floor in the central business district, you have to get a special permit," Houghton explained, adding that the development would contain seven parking spaces.
Answering to concerns from Selectmen Chair Bob Sweeney that a high-intensity traffic use could be placed in the retail space, Houghton promised that businesses such as restaurants and convenience stores would not be considered for the site.
"No, there wouldn't be enough parking spaces," the attorney responded.
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