CHAPTER 61B DECISION: 31 HUNTING LANE

A nearly 25-acre property on Hunting Lane is currently the subject of a purchase-and-sale agreement. Since about 23 acres of the parcel (actually 2 parcels of 8 acres and 16.93 acres with a house on the 16.93-acre property) is classified as Chapter 61B for recreation and open space, the Town has a right of first refusal to purchase the property under the same terms specified in the purchase-and-sale agreement. The Town will also be due back taxes that were avoided by the Chapter 61B classification.

The agreed-upon purchase price is $2,000,000. The 2016 assessment is $2,066,645, of which $1,407,400 is the assessed value of the house. It should be noted that the 61B classification does not apply to the house or the 2 acres on which it sits (minimum lot size for that zoning district). Because of the configuration of the lot and the location of the house, any attempt to separate the house from the bulk of the acreage would result in considerably more than 2 acres for the house lot. The 16.93-acre lot has 200 hundred feet of frontage which would need to remain with the house lot to comply with zoning and the house is more than 1000 feet from that frontage. 

It should also be noted that the purchaser of this property has also recently purchased 41 North Main Street (5.88 acres), 6 Powderhouse Lane (1.31 acres) and Parcel 2 of Map 11 (4.88 acres) on Hunting Lane abutting the 8-acre parcel. Thus there would be 3 abutting parcels with a  total of 29.73 acres on the Hunting Lane (west) side of the railroad tracks and 7.19 acres on the east side of the tracks under common ownership.

The Board of Selectmen have the authority to decide whether or not to exercise the right of refusal. They have asked for input from the Planning Board Board, Conservation Commission and others. They have 120 days to decide and if it is a positive decision, then a Special Town Meeting would need to be called to authorize the purchase and the financing for it. 

SHERBORN TO HOST LARGE SOLAR PHOTOVOLTAIC FACILITY

Sherborn is proud to be a Green Community. That honor took on added meaning at the final Planning Board meeting of 2015 when the Board granted a special permit modification to ADESA to add canopies topped by solar panels to its car parking/storage facility on the Sherborn/Framingham town line.

The system will have a capacity of 4.5 MW, of which 82% will be located in Sherborn and the remainder in Framingham. The system  will consist of 5 solar canopies. Each canopy is 102' 9" wide. The length varies: Three are 508' 11" long, one is 529' 9" long and one is 465' 2" long. About 82% of the facility will be in Sherborn and 18% in Framingham. The facility is projected to provide about 87% of the electricity used by ADESA.

Construction is expected to start in the Spring and be completed by summer.

UPDATE ON ABBEY ROAD DEVELOPMENT

The Planning Board recently approved a modification to the special permit for Abbey Road, the 18-unit age-restricted development at the site of the former Peace Abbey. The development includes converting the former library building into a single family home, converting the residence into 2 units and constructing five 3-unit buildings in a circle  around the original residence.

The major change with the modification is the relocation of the driveway. Instead of  circling in front of the buildings, it will circle behind them. The primary benefit of this move is that it allows the creation of a beautifully landscaped courtyard between the buildings in lieu of a driveway with multiple garages facing the center space. It also allows most of the garages to be built below the living space with entrances that are essentially hidden from view, resulting in additional living space on the 1st level without increasing the footprints of the buildings. It also results in significantly less fill being brought on to the site.

With its location within an easy walk to the Town Center primary business district on North Main Street, Abbey Road represents an important boost to efforts to improve the Town Center. Construction is expected to begin in late summer or fall.

Second Green Communities Grant

The Town of Sherborn has been awarded a second Green Communities grant, this time from the competitive round of the program. The amount of the grant is $77,800. This brings the total value of grants from the Green Communities program to $215,250.  

The grant will cover 71% of the cost of three projects at Pine Hill School.and it leverages an additional $7700 in utility incentives so that the Town share of the total estimated cost of $109,731 is reduced to $23,931. The three projects are: Library and Gym air handler upgrades (estimated cost: $42,775); classroom unit ventilator upgrades (estimated cost: $36,533), and soffit insulation and air sealing (estimated cost:$30,423).

Like the lighting and other improvements made with the initial grant of $137,450, the improvements funded will result in additional savings due to reduced energy consumption while reducing Sherborn's greenhouse gas emissions. Since its designation as a Green Community, Sherborn has reduced its energy consumption by about 15%.

ABBEY ROAD DEVELOPMENT

As you may know, the former Peace Abbey and Life Experience School property on North Main Street is proposed for redevelopment as an age-restricted development. The proposal is to convert the existing brick building (originally built as the Town library and often referred to as "the Library building") at the front of the property into a single family residence, convert the existing house to the rear of the property into a duplex, and add five new triplex buildings for a total of 18 units. The plans and other information about the project can be viewed here. 

A Preliminary Development Plan for the project and rezoning of the property to EA was approved at the 2013 Annual Town Meeting. Now an application for a special permit for the project along with a Final Development Plan has been submitted to the Planning Board. The public hearing for the special permit opened on July 23, 2014 at which time an overview of the project was presented. The hearing was continued until August 27 (and will likely be continued again into September).All are welcome to attend the hearings or otherwise provide comments on the project.

The project will eliminate the property's two curb cuts on North Main Street and provide an access driveway from Village Way. The project also requires a land swap from the Town. Authorization for the land swap was also approved at the 2013 Annual Town Meeting and the Board of Selectmen is currently in the process of executing that land transaction in accordance with state requirements.

The project also needs approval from the Board of Health (for septic system and wells) and the Conservation Commission (because part of it is within 100 feet of wetlands). An Environmental Health Impact Report (EHIR) has been submitted to the Board of Health. That report includes stormwater information which is also part of the review for both Planning Board and Conservation Commission. Consequently, the three boards have coordinated to select a single engineering consultant to provide peer review services for the project. That consultant is scheduled to be selected at the Board of Health meeting on August 20.

PLANNING BOARD NEEDS A MINUTES CLERK

The Town of Sherborn Planning Board needs a clerk. The primary duties are to attend bi-monthly evening meetings for the Planning Board at Sherborn Town Hall; take, transcribe and distribute minutes; and additional minor clerical duties. The position averages about 2 or 3 hours per week. This includes attending evening meetings (2^nd and 4^th Wednesdays of the month, generally) and then drafting the minutes (which can be done at home the following week). Pay is $16.49/hr. Good opportunity for those interested in workings of local government. For more information call 508-651-7855. Apply to Town Planner, 19 Washington Street, Sherborn, MA 01770 or planning@sherbornma.org

GENERAL PLAN NEEDS VOLUNTEERS!

The results of the General Plan Survey of Residents are now in! They have been compiled into graphs in a draft PowerPoint report that is currently being edited. The report will be presented to the public shortly.

While that report is being finalized, the Planning Board is ready to move into the next phase of updating the General Plan. In order to ensure a wide range of perspectives and views, the Planning Board will appoint three committees to provide input on updating various elements of the Plan. This phase will follow the pattern of the 2001 General Plan when 34 citizens were organized into three committees to help develop the plan.

If you are interested in the future of Sherborn and/or wish to become part of Sherborn's history, you may wish to volunteer to serve on one of the General Plan committees. The work will consist primarily of reviewing the 2001 General Plan to identify information that needs updating, reviewing the results of the 2014 survey, and presenting ideas for consideration to be incorporated into the 2015 General Plan. Staff support, including researching and providing statistical and technical data  will be provided by the Town Planner. The effort is expected to be completed within 6 months to a year.

The three committees and the subjects that will be addressing are as follows:

Land Use -- Land use, open space and recreation, and natural and          cultural resources

Built Environment -- Town Center, housing and transportation

Fiscal and Economic -- Economic development and  public facilities         and services

Serving on a General Plan committee is a great way to become involved in the Town, to learn new information about the Town's recent and past history and to ensure that your views are represented as decisions about the Town's future are made. If you are interested, please contact a member of the Planning Board or the Town Planner at planning@sherbornma.org or 508-651-7855.