MARLBOROUGH – Public comment for WP Marlborough’s proposed project at the McGee Farm site will be heard at the next City Council meeting on Sept. 12.
A public hearing for the project, which is known as Walcott Heritage Farms, was opened at a City Council meeting Aug. 22. However, no public comment was heard, and the hearing was continued to the next meeting.
The council had previously denied a special permit for the proposed 140-unit, three-building residential project, but the developer appealed the decision. The state Land Court later remanded it back to the City Council.
City Council President Michael Ossing told the Community Advocate the court order said the council had to hold a public hearing by Aug. 30, but it did not have to complete it.
“So opening satisfied that element of the court order, but the substantive rationale was back in July when we set stuff up, councilors were not going to be in attendance [for the Aug. 22 meeting],” Ossing said. “We wanted to make sure we had everybody there.”
Ossing said the council wanted to make sure every councilor could weigh in on the topic.
He said they checked with the city’s legal department, which said there weren’t any issues if they did not have public testimony for the project before Aug. 30.
“All of the folks were there that voted on it originally. They all expressed interest to weigh in, so we’ll have them all available on the 12th and conduct the public hearing then,” Ossing said.
The special permit for Walcott Heritage Farms was denied at an Aug. 23 meeting last year with a 6-5 vote. Councilors David Doucette, Laura Wagner, John Irish, Mark Oram, Samantha Perlman and Sean Navin voted against approving the permit while councilors Ossing, Kathleen Robey, Christian Dumais, Donald Landers and Robert Tunnera voted in favor.
Councilors attributed their votes against the permit to a decision of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation not to place a traffic light at the site’s location, which is on Route 20.
Resident voices opposition to Walcott project
At the Aug. 22 meeting the City Council also placed on file a letter from Arthur Skura, a Marlborough resident opposed to the project.
Skura said the agreement would allow the project to begin on April 14, 2023. He said this would be before the traffic needs of the public have been met.
“The citizens of Marlborough have continuously stated that without lights the Walcott Estates buildings proposal at 339 Boston Post Road poses a grave public safety risk,” Skura wrote.
Skura urged councilors to reject the settlement agreement.
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