HUDSON – The Select Board has appointed special counsel who will represent and advise the Planning Board, the Planning Department and other town boards relevant to the proposed redevelopment of the former Intel site.
They voted Sept. 7 to appoint Special Counsel Mark Babrowski.
Located at 75 Reed Road, developers are proposing to build a nearly 1.3-million-square-foot facility at the former Intel property.
“The scale and complexity of the redevelopment requires that the board appoint an attorney with specialized knowledge and experience in land use permitting to work with and guide the Planning Board and town staff,” Scott Duplisea said.
Babrowski, who is a partner at the Concord-based Blatman, Bobrowski, Haverty & Silverstein, LLC Attorneys at Law, is a land use attorney who has been practicing for 30 years.
Several years ago, Babrowski assisted the Planning Board in updating the town’s zoning bylaws.
Cost concerns
During their meeting, Select Board member Shawn Sadowski voiced concerns about the cost.
“I am very cautious about giving an open checkbook to an attorney that could burn through our budget very quickly. I understand the need for this attorney, but I’m just looking for a constraint on this,” he said.
Babrowski charges $375 per hour, which would be charged to the town’s legal budget of $250,000 that was approved during Town Meeting in May. There is a current balance of $230,753.33 in that account, according to Executive Assistant Thomas Gregory.
However, Gregory could not provide a total charge of the special counsel to the Select Board during the Sept. 7 meeting.
Select Board member James Quinn suggested that Town Counsel Aldo Cipriano and Gregory could occasionally inform the board of how much money is being spent on the special counsel.
“Whether we end up litigating or mitigating with this project, I don’t feel comfortable without hearing from an attorney who is well versed in this and I believe that these people are,” Quinn said.
What is proposed at Intel site
Earlier this summer, Intel confirmed that it planned to sell its 149-acre site which is a real estate developer in Atlanta.
Portman plans to demolish the existing buildings at the Intel property. It is proposing to construct a 1,284,640-square-foot distribution warehouse with 190 loading bays and parking for 540 trailers and 447 employee parking areas.
However, the project has drawn opposition from community members, including those who live and work near the former Intel site.
The proposed distribution warehouse at the former Intel site will be back before the Planning Board on Sept 27.
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