SHREWSBURY – Shrewsbury’s MBTA zoning proposal is back in the limelight.
During meetings on Oct. 17 and Oct. 24, the Planning Board opened the floor for public comment regarding the town’s MBTA zoning plan.
What is proposed
The zoning has been discussed at Planning Board meetings since February, and work on the town’s proposal has been ongoing for far longer. As part of the 2021 MBTA Communities Act, Shrewsbury is required to zone for approximately 1,500 housing units, which is equal to 10% of the town’s current housing stock. If the town does not pass MBTA zoning, it would be ineligible for 13 discretionary grants. Shrewsbury has utilized roughly $5 million in related grants to fund “significant” infrastructure improvements and initiatives, Director of Planning and Economic Development Christopher McGoldrick said on Oct. 17.
A previous plan put the town’s MBTA zoning near the old Christmas Tree Shops. However, town leaders later settled on a 118-acre, contiguous site along Route 20 that includes three main parcels: Shrewsbury Commons, 409 South Street, and Emerald Run. Shrewsbury Commons is a preexisting development, while 409 South and Emerald Run are both proposed 40B projects, totaling 498 combined units.
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Though the zoning could technically accommodate 1,512 units, residents can expect significantly less development given the pre-existing buildings in the proposed zone. Considering the 588 existing units in the zone and the other 40B units slated for development, McGoldrick said that the town would expect a “net new unit” count of approximately 426.
“This connects the district to two major transit corridors while overlaying parcels that are already existing, approved, or proposed for higher-density housing, limiting — to the extent practical — the generation of new housing units,” he said on Oct. 17.
Shrewsbury’s MBTA zoning plan went through the state’s “pre-adoption” feedback process. The state made minor “cautionary recommendations,” but determined that the town’s plan, if passed, would meet its standards.
Impact on schools
Though residents asked questions regarding different aspects of MBTA zoning during the meetings, the biggest topic of discussion concerned the amount of school-age children who might move into any development under the zoning. Residents inquired about the cost per pupil and the amount of students who may enter the school system.
“I’m going to start off with something that I believe is still a major issue for [the Planning Board] to make a decision on, and that’s … the cost of — whether it’s these or any other housing units in town — students,” said Anthony Bonaventura on Oct. 17. “It is one of the major costs in any residential project.”
At the Oct. 24 meeting, Superintendent Joe Sawyer said that, as of last spring, 790 out of the district’s 5,900-plus students resided in apartments. Sawyer also commented on Town Manager Kevin Mizikar’s projections, which indicated that the build-out of 924 potential MBTA zoning-related units — the number of “net new” units without considering the 40B developments —would add approximately 407 students to the school system.
“It’s a pretty conservative estimate … The students per unit in town was about 0.28 … but Mr. Mizikar, to be conservative, used a figure [0.44] that was almost double that, which represented one of the particular [high-student-per-unit] apartments,” Sawyer said.
The 0.44 student-per-unit number is also higher than many existing apartment complexes. Quinn35 on Harrington Avenue has 0.08 students per unit, according to Sawyer. Edgemere Crossing — which projections once predicted would have 28 students — actually has 16 students, or 0.06 students per unit.
Shrewsbury High School is already overcrowded, said Sawyer, but the additional students would have a “de minimis” impact, considering they’d be spread throughout several classes. Class sizes would also not be majorly impacted at Oak Middle School or Sherwood Middle School, with the potential for 1.5 more students per class.
“I would not be advocating for hiring a new teacher to absorb 1.5 students in each class,” said Sawyer.
Any potential development’s biggest impact would be at the elementary level, Sawyer said, because those schools serve smaller geographic areas. If there’s a population increase in a certain school’s district, there may not be enough classes to effectively spread the impact. The potential MBTA zone would be located in the Floral Street School district.
“It would definitely put some enrollment pressure on Floral Street. We’d have to add some teachers to maintain the class size there — probably a couple teachers per grade level, give or take. That said, one thing that we would always look to do as a school district is … doing some targeted redistricting of the targeted zones,” said Sawyer.
McGoldrick said that, per the Fair Housing Law, the Planning Board may not base its decision solely on schoolchildren if a residential development appeared before the board.
“It should be an adjacent piece,” he said.
The Planning Board unanimously voted to recommend the MBTA zoning to Town Meeting on Oct. 30. Other boards — including the Finance Committee on Nov. 7 and the Select Board on Nov. 12 — will have the opportunity to make recommendations prior to Town Meeting on Nov. 18.
Shrewsbury has until Dec. 31 to pass MBTA zoning without penalty.
