ZBA Continues 40B Hearing with Gatehouse Group on Wednesday

Nearly a month after the Medfield Zoning Board of Appeals opened the public hearing process with Gatehouse Group to discuss the proposed 96-unit 40B apartment complex off West Street, the two sides are ready to reconvene and continue the hearing Wednesday night.

Norma Cronin, administrative assistant for the Zoning Board of Appeals, said Wednesday's meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be held in the Chenery Room (second floor) of instead of the Lowell Mason Auditorium of .

Cronin says the expected agenda for the evening will be the "hiring of consultants and discussion/presentation of the reports from various town departments" in relation to Gatehouse's 40B proposal.

The ZBA opened its public hearing with Gatehouse on April 11 and heard the details of the proposed 40B apartment complex off West Street. However, many questions remained unanswered for the more than 80-people in attendance at that meeting. There was no time for public comment at the April 11 hearing and Cronin expects there won't be on May 9 either.

"The hearing will be continued numerous times," Cronin said. "This is not a small project that can be processed in a short time. At the end of each meeting, the [ZBA] chairman will announce the next date to meet.”

Cronin added under the state code, the hearing can last up to 180 days from the date the hearing begins.

“[That timeframe] can be extended by mutual agreement between the applicant and the ZBA,” Cronin said. Once the hearing is closed, the [ZBA] must render a decision in writing and file the same with the Town Clerk within 40 days.”

While there likely won't be time for public comment, there should be answers to some of the questions the ZBA had for Gatehouse at the April 11 meeting.

More on Gatehouse's 40B Proposal

Below are links to Medfield Patch articles related to the Gatehouse Group's 40B proposal: