Vigeant provides update on Marlborough housing moratorium

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By Stuart Foster, Contributing Writer

MARLBOROUGH – Mayor Arthur Vigeant spoke in favor of Marlborough’s 90-day moratorium for multi-family housing projects at the City Council meeting on May 24.

Vigeant said that, with a large number of projects already approved in the city, including over 630 units currently in the construction process, the 90-day moratorium would be beneficial to Marlborough.

He first recommended the moratorium a month ago at a City Council meeting on April 26.

“When I proposed this back in April, it was really to give us a bit of breathing room,” Vigeant said.

Vigeant said that the amount of water and sewage used by multi-family complexes was of particular concern. He added that he is considering a proposal to add fees covering these costs to new developments of this nature.

Vigeant reiterated that the moratorium does not apply to developments for single-family residences in Marlborough.

“We want to encourage those single family houses but, when those apartments come up, they use a lot of sewer [and] a lot of water,” he said.

Vigeant said that, while some of the multi-family developments add value to the city, others do not. He said that he wants to ensure that approval for construction is only given to the best proposals.

Vigeant also addressed statewide concerns over the availability of housing in Massachusetts. He said that the city of Marlborough is doing its part to create more housing.

“We just want to make sure that the units we are approving are working in the best interest of the city of Marlborough,” Vigeant said.

Vigeant said that because the moratorium was posted in late April, it would end around July 28 or 29.

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