Friday, December 7, 2012
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 …
Monday, November 26, 2012
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 …
Friday, November 9, 2012
The ZBA has not made a decision on The Parc at Medfield but has instructed its legal consultant to draft a letter of approval with conditions that will serve only as a place to start the decision-making process.
The Board of Appeals on Zoning has instructed its legal consultant to draft an approval letter with conditions for the 40B project proposed off West Street. The proposed "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 ZBA closed the public hearing on the project on Monday night. At its meeting on Thursday, ZBA Chairman Robert Sylvia stressed that the board has not made any decision on the project and its instruction to its lawyers to draft an approval with conditions is only to get a legal decision in front …
Monday, November 5, 2012
School officials say the proposed affordable housing project off West Street could add as many as 80 students and could cost "a couple hundred thousand dollars" a year.
If approved, the 96-unit affordable housing project off West Street could add another 80 students to the Medfield School System, said Superintendent of Schools Robert Maguire. The Zoning Board of Appeals is expected to make that decision tonight. "I wouldn't be surprised if we have to plan on a couple hundred thousand dollars," Maguire said, noting those figures are "back of the envelope with a lot more work to be done." Gatehouse Group LLC, which proposes The Parc at Medfield, has suggested in its application that the project would add 60 students to the town's school system. At a ZBA hearing in May, town officials said those numbers are likely low. Maguire said the number appears to be a simple mathematical average taken from other …
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 …
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
The ZBA's financial consultant will not be able to meet with its financial consultant tonight because his return flight was cancelled due to Hurricane Sandy.
The Zoning Board of Appeals has postponed tonight's meeting on The Parc at Medfield, a 96-unit affordable housing development proposed off West Street, until Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m. The sole purpose of tonight's meeting was to hear from the town's financial consultant regarding the financial implications of the waivers sought by applicant Gatehouse Group LLC. The ZBA office says the consultant had been out of town and his weekend return flight was cancelled because of Hurricane Sandy. That consultant is now expected to make a presentation on Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. but it will focus on the economical feasibility of the project, not how it will affect the town's bottom line. "What I care about is, 'What is the economic impact of these waivers…
Monday, October 15, 2012
The Board of Appeals on Zoning will meet tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Chenery Room at the Town House.
The Board of Appeals on Zoning will meet tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Chenery Room at the Town House for the sole purpose of discussing the affordable housing project proposed off West Street. The applicant, Gatehouse Group LLC, has proposed to build 96 units of affordable housing between West Street and North Meadows Road (Route 27), a garden-style complex of four buildings on five acres to be called "The Parc at Medfield." At its last meeting, the applicant agreed to an extension until Oct. 31 so that the board could meet with additional consultants. Tonight, the ZBA will meet with the applicant as well as the ZBA's Planning Consultant, Judi Barrett, and Legal Consultant, Mark Bobrowski, to discuss progress and the results of working …
Monday, September 24, 2012
Here's a list of good things to know as you start your day in Medfield.
Here's some helping planning your day today. If we missed anything, tell us in the comment box below. Have a nice day. 1. Public comment welcome at tonight's continued Zoning Board of Appeals hearing regarding the 40B project, "The Parc at Medfield," proposed off West Street. For a full agenda, click here. 2. Today's library events include Yoga for Kids from 10:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (activity room) and Wii Weekdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. (teen lounge). 3. Looking for work? Mark your calendars for "Finding Work," a workshop with Janet Letourneau on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at 6:30 p.m. at the library. Letourneau is president and founder of Peak Performers, Inc. a professional development firm. 4. Did you see Friday's edition of "Uniquely …
Friday, September 21, 2012
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 …
Monday, July 23, 2012
Here’s a look at today’s events.
Forecast for Monday: The National Weather Service based in Taunton says today will be partly sunny with a chance of showers and thunderstorms (heavy rain). High near 88. Southwest wind 8 to 13 mph. Monday night: Mostly cloudy with chance of showers. Low around 68. Southwest wind 8 to 10 mph. Town Hall Meetings: Library Events: Community Events:
chuck ferullo
4:47 pm on Saturday, December 8, 2012
Over the course of my three short decades in Medfield, I have watched with frustration as the town boards that are charged with protecting our quality of life and property values fight the good fight, only to give up, in the end, when the spectre of a court battle appears. From the paving, widening and straightening of scenic roads to the approval of subdivision construction from developers with … more ›