1. There is still PLENTY of time to reject this proposal and come up with a less aggressive plan for the town without jeopardizing MassWorks or Housing Works grants.
-North Andover has until December of 2024 to comply.
2. We would only lose the opportunity to apply for grant money if the Select Board and Planning Board refuse to submit a proposal that could actually pass town meeting before the deadline.
-Town Meeting & residents have made it abundantly clear over the last several years that they feel the pace of high-density development in town is out of control. We understand there is a legal requirement to make these zones, but the town’s proposal goes well above and beyond what is required by law.
-Town leaders need to LISTEN to residents and come up with alternative locations, overlayed over already existing multi-family housing zones, and limit their plan to the 50 or so acres required by law. The plan they have proposed is almost double the required acreage on commercial sites!
3. The vast majority of the grants we’re being threatened with are almost ALL aimed at accommodating HIGH DENSITY DEVELOPMENTS!
a. The MassWorks Infrastructure grants in 2017 and 2019 totaled $5 million for creation of new sewers, sidewalks, and pedestrian infrastructure along Route 125. This is directly in front of the Princeton North Andover development.
-Has anyone seen the Rt 125-sidewalk used or is it a multimillion dollar sidewalk to nowhere? Even with a sidewalk, trying to walk on that road is jarring and dangerous.
-The sewer service line made it easier to build large scale residential development. Don't forget this is right in front of Barker Farm — a site which the town has already indicated in meetings how it could be developed!
Barker Farm in the Town's Priority Development Zone
b. The Town was awarded another MassWorks Grant, totaling $1,240,000 to reconstruct and improve the intersection of Route 125 (Osgood Street) and Great Pond Road.
-Another instance of a grant being awarded to offset increased traffic from high density developments.
-How much more traffic can the town handle? Sutton Street backs up from 495 all the way to the airport; Mass Ave is backed up from the Atkinson all the way to Waverly Road. The rotary regularly backs up to Ridgewood Cemetery. We've certainly seen the increased traffic across the board as these developments have been built.
c. Housing Choice Action Grants totaling over $140,000 for planning projects related to rezoning downtown and reusing the former senior center behind Town Hall.
-The professional review of the downtown will likely recommend rezoning downtown for more high density multi families because that's what the town wants!
-Do we really need a grant to study use of the former senior center? We had a citizen group study the use of 400 Great Pond Road / Boathouse. Another citizen group studied the Stevens Estate (after the town promulgated doom and gloom if we didn't rush to sell it). The answer is no, we are capable of doing this!
4. Recap. We would only lose the grant money if we turn it down and the Town refuses to put the overlay on existing housing sites that if built would have a relatively small net increase. This would also leave the commercial base intact.
We will NOT be losing out on any local aid.
We will NOT be losing out on state education funding.
