To the Editor:
I ask that the City of Marlborough refuse to allow special permitting, leeway, allowances or zoning changes for a proposed development at the McGee Veterinary Farm at 339 Boston Post Road. The plan includes a 4-story, 4-bldg 188 multi-generational apartment unit, with several parking lots. That area of the city is becoming a blighted area, with the cube storage building, the Shell station, and the over-crowded parking lot from Garden Remedies. Adding a towering complex with several large areas of concrete further degrades the look and feel of our city as you leave the serene landscape of Sudbury. Additionally, that many units could bring hundreds of school-aged children to further burden our school system. As the new elementary school goes live, will we need to immediately begin the search for another? Will the MSBA be willing to help again so quickly, or will it be solely up to taxpayers? What about the strain on fire, police and DPW personnel and equipment? The additional traffic on Route 20 will turn what is a painful commute into a parking lot, forcing most to deviate to back roads to and from Waltham and Boston. There doesn’t seem to be much in the way of value-added to the city with loosening the floodgates and granting a plethora of special permits.
And speaking of floodgates, much of that property is currently wetlands, a brook and a pond. To build that design, they would have to be filled and relocated. If I were an abutter, I would be very concerned about the new higher water table in my own basement. The City Engineer recommended extensive studies and tests, but to what end? All the city has to do is say no. There is nothing that makes the city responsible for helping a seller max out, but there is a lot that the city should consider in protecting our green space, our legacy, and our current residents from undue burdens on all of our infrastructure.
Call or email your City Councilor before the June 8th hearing. They should Just Say NO.
Sincerely,
Cindy Zomar
Former Ward 7 City Councilor
Marlborough
