PERMITTING PROCESS FOR MEADOWBROOK COMMONS (EA) AND THE VILLAGES AT SHERBORN (40B)

First, an email distribution list has been created that will used to notify people of upcoming meetings or activities, plans, reports, etc., for those interested. To get on the list send an email to planning@sherbornma.org.

The next step is that Trask has to do a lot of detailed engineering to prepare final plans for both projects. Since they will share a wastewater treatment plant and water, it makes sense to do the engineering for both projects together.

As for permitting, Trask's "Coolidge Crossing" 40B project is on hold and before the Housing Appeals Committee. It may be moot because "Meadowbrook Commons" (the EA that just got preliminary approval) would replace Coolidge Crossing anyway. The Villages rental project is before the Mass Housing Partnership for consideration of a Project Eligibility Letter (approval is highly likely). Once Trask gets that letter and gets the engineering done, he can apply for both projects. One wrinkle is that 40B projects are submitted to the ZBA while EA projects are submitted to the Planning Board (PB).

Due to the nature of the two projects, considerable collaboration is likely. That would likely include, at a minimum,  hiring the same peer reviewer, but could potentially include joint hearings which would make it easier on everyone involved.

As for timelines, again the rules differ between 40B's and EA (and all special permits). The first hearing for a 40B must occur within 30 days of submitting a complete application. Special permits must be heard within 65 days of application. Again, the PB may schedule its hearing at the same time as ZBA if the application for both projects are complete. Then, the PB must make a decision within 90 days of closing the hearing, but there is no real limit on how long the hearings may continue. On the other hand, the hearings on a 40B must close within 180 days of opening (unless mutually agreed by the applicant and ZBA to extend it). The PB decision must be filed with Town Clerk within 90 days of close of hearing while a 40B decision must be filed within 40 days of close of hearing.

The opening hearing of both permits must be advertised in a newspaper twice - at least 14 days in advance and then at least 7 days in advance. Abutters within 300 feet of the perimeter of the property must get a notice in the mail. There is no specific timeframe for that other than "reasonable." PB has already decided it will expand that distance to notify  everyone on Meadowbrook Road and much of Coolidge Street plus anyone who provides an email address.  After the first hearing, no additional notices are mailed and there are no more newspaper ads. The ZBA and PB must announce the time and date and place of the next hearing at the first and all subsequent ones. Email notices though, will be sent to everyone on the list.

PLANNING BOARD TO HOLD HEARING ON POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT ON COOLIDGE STREET

As you may know, a developer has applied for comprehensive permits (also know as 40B) on two abutting sites at 84 and 104 Coolidge Street. The project at 104 Coolidge would be 88 townhouse style units (22 of which would qualify as affordable under State rules) while the project at 84 Coolidge would be 88 rental apartments in a single L-shaped building. The affordable units in the rental project would all count toward our 10% goal.

Trask Development has indicated an interest in redesigning the townhouse project to an age-restricted (over 55) project of 67 units of which 7 would be affordable. The project would then comply with Sherborn's rules rather than the State's rules. In this scenario, the rental project would remain as currently proposed. In order to do this however, Sherborn's EA zoning bylaw would need to be amended to remove the current restriction which currently only allows such projects within 1 mile of the Washington/North Main/South Main intersection.

A Special Town Meeting is scheduled for December 6 to consider 2 zoning changes. One would amend the EA section of the Zoning Bylaw to remove the 1-mile restriction and to provide for affordable units to be included in an age-restricted development. The other would rezone the Coolidge Street property to EA in conjunction with a Preliminary Development Plan.

The Planning Board hearing on the zoning changes will be held on November 7 at 7:00 PM. The Advisory Committee will also hold a hearing on November 8 at 7:00 PM. The Preliminary Development Plan will be posted on the Town web site shortly.

FORUMS ON NEW DRAFT GENERAL PLAN BEGIN JANUARY 25

The Sherborn Planning Board invites all residents to the first of a series of public forums on the new draft General Plan for the Town. This forum will focus on the Natural Resource and Open Space goals of the General Plan. As these goals are also part of the draft Open Space and Recreation Plan, this forum is co-sponsored by the Open Space Committee.

The forum is a step in the Planning Board's process of producing a new General Plan for the Town, the first since 2001. State law requires that the Planning Board of each town must adopt a comprehensive Plan to provide a basis for decision-making regarding the long-term development of the town. The current Sherborn Planning Board is committed to producing a General Plan that provides a shared vision of Sherborn's future, including preservation of the Town's most valued assets as well as needed improvements.  The Plan seeks to define broad goals for the coming years and decades and to provide clear recommendations, practical strategies and specific actions to fulfill those goals. 

From the start, the Planning Board has sought to make the process as inclusive and transparent as possible. It began in 2014 with a town-wide survey, followed by formation of volunteer citizen "working groups" who worked for many months to produce draft sections of the Plan. Over the past several months these drafts have been reviewed and revised by the Planning Board with input from many Town Boards and Committees.  So far, dozens of Town residents have taken an active role in the General Plan process.

While the writing and editing process is ongoing, sections of the draft General Plan are being presented to all interested residents in a series of public forums. The first will be held on Wednesday, January 25th at 7:00 PM at the Sherborn Town Hall.  It will be focused on Goals concerning Sherborn's Natural Resources and Open Space. Everyone is invited and encouraged to attend. 

COOLIDGE CROSSING

The Zoning Board of Appeals has received the comprehensive permit application for the Coolidge Crossing project. The proposal calls for 88 townhouses on 20.2 acres located at 104 Coolidge Street. Twenty two of the homeownership units will be affordable under Chapter 40B of Massachusetts General Laws. A project eligibility letter was issued by MassHousing on September 29, 2016. On that same day, MassHousing received a letter withdrawing without prejudice the application for The Villages at Sherborn, an 84-unit rental project by the same developer on an abutting parcel that would share facilities with Coolidge Crossing. The first hearing on Coolidge Crossing is scheduled for Thursday, December 15, 2016 at 8:00 PM at the Police Station.

PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC FORUM ON POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENT AT 41 NORTH MAIN

The Planning Board will be hosting a public forum in Room 204A at 7:00 PM on Wednesday, December 14, 2016 at which Bob Murchison will be presenting commercial and residential development concepts for the property at 41 North Main Street. The Planning Board will be facilitating the discussion whose purpose is to provide feedback from the public to the potential developers on the development concepts that are being considered. All interested persons are invited to attend.

59 NORTH MAIN STREET 40B

Sherborn has received a copy of the application to MassHousing for a Project Eligibility Letter for a new 40B/Comprehensive Permit development at 59 North Main Street. This application has been anticipated for about 2 years. The property received a Section 4.4 Reduced Frontage special permit from the Planning Board in April of 2015 allowing it to be divided into three lots, of which one would have reduced frontage but double the minimum area requirement (plus increased setbacks and other restrictions).

After the special permit was granted, the property was sold in June of 2015 and the new owner made clear that he would be pursuing a 40B project. The previous owner had considered that and had concept plans prepared. The new owner is using that same concept plan.

The proposed project consists of 12 units of which 3 would be affordable. The affordable units have a preliminary price of $190,400 for 2150 square feet and 3 bedrooms. Eight of the 9 market rate units have 2 bedrooms. They range in price from $895,000 to $995,000 and in area from 2347 to 2677 square feet.

Once a Project Eligibility Letter is received, the developer can apply to the Zoning Board of Appeals for a Comprehensive Permit to construct the project.

COMPARISON OF CURRENTLY PENDING AND PROPOSED 40B'S VS. PAST GROWTH SPURTS

Sherborn is currently facing a potential building boom in housing units that it has not faced in decades. Sherborn has seen little private sector housing growth since the 1970's. Two of the largest projects since that time have both been Town-sponsored:  24 units of age-restricted apartments at Woodhaven in the 1980's, and the 17-unit Leland Farms condominium project in the late 1990's.

The only significant private projects since the 1970's have been the 19-lot Cider Hill subdivision approved in 1989, Sherborn Meadows (24 age-restricted condos built in a garden apartment style in the early 2000's) and the 18 age-restricted condos of Abbey Road approved in 2015 and now under construction. The Whitney Farms 40B project represents 48 more units but apparently only a single unit has been sold so far after years of construction and marketing.

According to the U.S. Census, there were 1451 housing units in Sherborn in 2000. By 2010, the figure had risen to 1479, an increase of 1.9%.

Since 2015, the Town has seen a burst of proposed new development. The Fields 40B project includes 32 townhouse condominiums. While it was approved by ZBA, it is currently under appeal. Additional 40B projects include Coolidge Crossing (88 townhouse condominiums),  the Villages at Sherborn (84 apartments - twelve 3-BR units and 72 1-BR), Green Lane (16 duplex units) and 59 North Main Street (12 single family condominium units). These projects represent 232 units of housing, or about 15% of the current housing stock.

How does this compare with past housing booms? The two largest boom periods were separated by just 2 years. The late 1960's represent the most intense residential development era. From 1964 through 1969, several subdivisions were approved totaling 325 lots (average 54 per year). That was preceded by a lesser boom from 1955-1961. During that era subdivisions were approved totaling 151 lots (average 22 lots per year). In between these eras "only" a total of 21 lots were approved in 1962 and 1963.  Of course, the houses were not all built at once;  it took several years to build out these subdivisions.

According to the U.S. Census, there were 564 housing units in Sherborn in 1959. During the 1960's,  an additional 368 were built - an increase of 65%. During the 1970's an additional 258 were built - an increase of 28% over the 1969 figure. Overall, the number of housing units increased 111% during the 20-year period from 1960 to 1980.