By K.B. Sherman, Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – At their May 10 meeting, Town Manager Daniel Morgado began by noting that he had attended a meeting on the proposed Stoney Hill affordable housing development May 9. According to him, many issues remain unresolved, including emergency vehicle access to Stoney Hill, normal traffic access to the development, and required sewer capacity issues.
Under Massachusetts Chapter 40B, a local Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) may approve affordable housing developments under flexible rules if at least 20-25 percent of the units have long-term affordability restrictions. Also known as the Comprehensive Permit Law, Chapter 40B was enacted in 1969 to help address the shortage of affordable housing statewide by reducing barriers created by local approval processes, local zoning, and other restrictions.
To those opposed to the law, 40B serves to allow developers to build large, unsustainable housing developments by avoiding most zoning laws in locations for which they are ill-suited. In such a situation, a proposed 40B development may be labeled by opponents as “unfriendly.”
The process of examining this project began in 2014, with the builder meeting with the Board of Selectmen to discuss a proposal for a 160-unit affordable housing complex that would be located at the intersection of Walnut Street and Route 9.
At that time, William Depietri, the company’s president, presented to the board several conceptual drawings of a development that would be a “friendly” Chapter 40B project. There were to be two lots, both along Stoney Hill Road. One, covering about nine acres, is at 526 Hartford Turnpike, and the other at 440 Hartford Turnpike, covers more than 10 acres. The original proposal would have placed 128 residential units in three buildings at the former and another 192 units, also in three buildings, at the latter.
Problems noted since then include the project’s four-story buildings being at odds with the surrounding one-story homes and entailing a density not allowed under current town zoning. The increase in school-age children at the town schools was another concern.
At the May 10 meeting, Morgado suggested that the selectmen approach the ZBA with its concerns as it continues to consider the 40B application. Selectman James Kane noted that this project was originally classified as a “friendly 40B” but that this has not been the case as the developer has pressed on regardless of problems with the property that have been revealed. He suggested that the selectmen restate their opposition and let this be known by the ZBA.
“This project just doesn’t fit the land,” Kane explained, adding that most representations by the builder have proven false or misleading.
