By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter
Shrewsbury – Selectmen approved an amendment to a Memorandum Agreement with Kelly Realjo, Trustee of Route 20 Nominee Trust, for the Edgemere Drive-In redevelopment project (also known as Edgemere Crossing at Flint Pond) located on Route 20, at the board’s Dec. 10 meeting.
Developers of the project applied for a special permit in June 2019. A public hearing was convened July 11 for site plan review which is currently under revision. The public hearing remains open and has been continued to the January 2020 Planning Board meeting.
“This is an amendment to the development agreement that was signed by the board, the sewer commission and the developer originally in July of 2018. The purpose of this amendment is to update the document with regard to two matters,” stated Town Manager Kevin Mizikar.
First, the document required certain actions by the developer when submitting permit applications, and by the town to bring the sewer pump station online that to enable the project.
The second related to the MassWorks Grant. As part of the original grant process, the town filed an application for grant funding in 2018 with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development seeking $4.4 million from the MassWorks Infrastructure Program to cover estimated costs in design, implementation, and improvement construction.
However, in October 2018, the town received notice of approval of a grant but in the amount of $3,750,000 which was $650,000 less than the sum requested in the application.
Mizikar said that because of the lesser sum obtained in the grant, the town and the developer have agreed to work cooperatively to determine an alternative, reduced or lesser scope of improvements that the town will be able to design, implement and construct.
Selectman John Samia posed a technical question related to design costs that may come in at a different value than stated in this agreement, would the Board need to give its approval on any cost differences?
The amended Memorandum of Agreement was passed.
