ZBA Approves Affordable Housing Project Off West Street

Last week, the Zoning Board of Appeals approved The Parc at Medfield, an affordable housing project that includes 92 units that will be rented at 80 percent of market rate.

  With all the hustle and bustle of this week's activities, did you know that the Zoning Board of Appeals approved "The Parc at Medfield," an affordable housing project off West Street. The ZBA approved the project "with conditions" that decreases the number of units to 92 (from the proposed 96) and affords the town some advantages (new sidewalks and pedestrian safety measures, new extension ladders for the fire department) it would not have had if the project was denied and therefore appealed to the state's housing court (where applicants, historically, win on appeal). Here is the link to the story. What do you think about the decision? Tell us in the comment section below.  

• Photos (2)

Today is Deadline for ZBA to Finalize Affordable Housing Decision

The ZBA received a filing extension until Dec. 19. At today's meeting (4 p.m. at Town Hall), the board finalize its decision so it can be filed on time to meet the deadline.

  The Zoning Board of Appeals was granted an extension to finalize its decision on The Parc at Medfield, an affordable housing project proposed off West Street. The ZBA will finalize its decision today -- 4 p.m. in the Town Hall Chenery Room -- in order to meet that Dec. 19 deadline. The project, which was approved on Dec. 6 by a vote of 2 to 1 (Bob Sylvia was the one dissenting vote and resigned after fellow board members voted to approve the project), calls for 92 (down from 96) affordable housing units to be built on a nine acre parcel (of which only a portion is buildable) off West Street.  At today's meeting, the board -- with acting Chairman Russ Hallissey -- will finalize the decision including language that addresses the nearly 50 …

• Photos (3)

ZBA Chairman Resigns After 40 Years Because of Board's Approval of 40B Project

Robert Sylvia resigned this afternoon as a member of the Board of Appeals on Zoning. Sylvia said the town needs to stand on principal and deny (or reduce) the project because it is bad for Medfield.

  Robert Sylvia has served as a member of the Medfield Board of Appeals on Zoning for 40 years. Sylvia resigned this afternoon after the majority of the board approved The Parc at Medfield, a 96-unit affordable housing development proposed by Gatehouse Group LLC, a move that Sylvia said was wrong for the town of Medfield.  Last week, the board reviewed a draft approval letter (with conditions) presented to them by their legal consultant. Sylvia, a trial lawyer by profession, asked the board for one more week so that he could draft his own letter as he has done in several other applications over the years.  The ZBA met today to discuss Sylvia's draft and compare it to last week's draft approval letter.   Sylvia said he spent 30 to 40 hours …

•  9 Comments
• Photos (1)

Tonight ZBA Will Review Draft Decision on Affordable Housing Project

The ZBA will meet tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the Town House.

The Board of Appeals on Zoning will meet tonight at 5:30 p.m. to discuss a draft decision for The Parc at Medfield, the 96-unit unit affordable housing complex proposed on West Street. On Nov. 8, the ZBA instructed its legal consultant to draft an approval letter with conditions for the 40B project proposed off West Street. This will be the ZBA's first discussion of that draft. The board must issue a final decision by Dec. 14.  The proposed project includes four buildings of one, two and three-bedroom rental units on 9.22 acres of land near the former Potpourri building between West Street and Route 27, according to the Executive Summary of Gatehouse Group LLC's application filed with the state. Last week, the town received a five-inch …

• Photos (1)

Medfield 02052

Medfield02052: Gatehouse Application for Tax Credits

The Board of Selectmen received a large binder from the Gatehouse Group containing its tax credit application for the affordable housing project proposed on West Street.

The following is taken from Selectman Osler "Pete" Peterson's personal blog, Medfield02052. I have just finished looking over Gatehouse's Application for tax credits that the town received this week. Let me know if anyone wants to look it over. It is in a 5" notebook that I guess contains 1,000 pages.  My major take away was how much money there is for Gatehouse via those tax credits.  For the first phase, which is the first half of the project, the Federal tax credits were about $8.5m. and the state tax credits were about $3.4m.  For that first phase, of half the project, the sources and uses summary shows costs of about $13m., most of which are paid for by those tax credits.  The permanent financing was put at only $750,000.  The other …

• Photos (1)

Tonight ZBA Starts Decision-Making Process on 40B Project

The Board of Appeals on Zoning will meet at the Town House tonight at 5:30 p.m. to start the decision-making process on the affordable housing project.

After months of meetings, the Board of Appeals on Zoning closed the public hearing regarding The Parc at Medfield, an 40B affordable housing project proposed off West Street. The Board of Appeals on Zoning will meet tonight at 5:30 p.m. at the Town House to start the decision-making process regarding the project that would include four buildings of one, two and three-bedroom rental units on 9.22 acres of land near the former Potpourri building between West Street and Route 27, according to the Executive Summary of Gatehouse Group LLC's application filed with the state. Before closing the hearing on Nov. 5, the ZBA heard from its financial advisor Michael Jacobs of MHJ Associates.  Jacobs report was to provide context to the board in its …

• Photos (4)

ZBA to Close Public Hearing on 40B Project Tonight

Today is the deadline for the Board of Appeals on Zoning to close the public hearing on the affordable housing project proposed off West Street.

  The Zoning Board of Appeals is expected to close the public hearing tonight on a 96-unit affordable housing development proposed off West Street. "The Parc at Medfield" would include four buildings of one, two and three-bedroom rental units on 9.22 acres of land near the former Potpourri building between West Street and Route 27, according to the Executive Summary of Gatehouse Group LLC's application filed with the state. The hearing will start at 7:30 p.m. at the Town House.  The ZBA will then have 40 days from the closing of the hearing to render its written decision to the applicant.  The ZBA is expected to hear from the town's financial consultant regarding the financial implications of the waivers sought by applicant.  The Medfield …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Public Comment Welcome at Monday's 40B Hearing

The public is invited to be heard at the ZBA meeting on Monday where they will discuss the affordable housing project proposed off West Street.

  The Board of Appeals on Zoning is inviting public comment on Monday regarding the 96-unit affordable housing complex proposed off West Street. The meeting will take place on Monday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in the Chenery Room at the Town House. To date, residents have only had one meeting at which to ask limited questions but ZBA Chairman Robert Sylvia said Monday's meeting will be mostly dedicated to public comment. "When the [Sept.] 24th comes, we intend to spend most of our time that night with public comment because everybody has been very patient and has waited until now to express their concerns," he said at their meeting last month.  The applicant, The Gatehouse Group of Companies (which has built similar projects throughout …

• Photos (4)
• Documents (1)

Affordable Housing Committee Voices Concerns Over West Street 40B Proposal

Meeting for the first time in over a year, members of the Affordable Housing Committee expressed their concerns with the proposed 40B complex off West Street to representatives of the Gatehouse Group on March 29 at Town Hall.

Editor’s note: This is the third part of a three-part series that takes a closer look at The Gatehouse Group, Inc. and the 96-unit affordable housing complex it is proposing to develop off West Street. Part three focuses on the concerns raised by the town's Affordable Housing Committee regarding Gatehouse's proposal of a 96-unit affordable housing complex off West Street. Members of the Medfield Affordable Housing Committee (AHC) are concerned with the size and density of the proposed 40B project off West Street and its impact on town property values and services. AHC chairman Bonnie Wren-Burgess expressed concern to representatives from the Gatehouse Group - the company proposing the 96-unit affordable housing apartment complex – about …

• Photos (3)

Gatehouse Property in Stoughton the 'Prototype' for Proposed Development in Medfield

The Gatehouse Group's Quail Run community in Stoughton is the prototype of the proposed 40B affordable housing apartment complex in Medfield. Here's a closer look at the design plans for the proposed Medfield development.

Editor’s note: This is the second part of a three-part series that takes a closer look at The Gatehouse Group, Inc. and the 96-unit affordable housing complex it is proposing to develop off West Street. Part two focuses on the design of the 96-unit affordable housing complex Gatehouse Group has proposed in Medfield. To read part one of this series, click here. Two of the six Massachusetts properties the Gatehouse Group owns and operates will give Medfield residents a better understanding of what type of affordable housing development is being proposed off West Street. Gatehouse Group developer James E. Koningisor of Koningisor, Luciano & Associates, Inc. said the company's Quail Run community in Stoughton is the prototype for the …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)