ReportWire

Tag: city planning

  • Andover voters approve MBTA zoning

    Andover voters approve MBTA zoning

    [ad_1]

    ANDOVER — Voters approved a zoning district on Tuesday that allows for the potential construction of up to 2,121 multifamily housing units.

    Only a day after more than 900 voters turned out Monday for the first day of Town Meeting, the state-mandated district was approved 434-196.

    To combat the housing crisis, the state passed a law in 2021 mandating that communities with MBTA transit stations or station located nearby create a zoning district that promotes the construction of multifamily housing, with the added requirement that 50% of the housing capacity must fall within a half mile of a transit station.

    Creating zoning for the units does not necessarily mean they would be built. Developers would still need to meet regulations; the town would just have less discretion to deny projects, according to planning officials. The district, crafted over the last three years, spreads the density over three sections of town – downtown, Ballardvale and the area off River Road near Old River Road.

    The proposed district was debated Tuesday night on the Town Meeting floor at Andover High School, but few voters lined up to oppose the measure.

    “Andover is aging and we need good housing that makes it possible for young people to live in town,” she said.

    Other residents were concerned about how the new zoning might change the town.

    “I moved to Andover because it is not densely populated,” said Mike Tompkins. “Andover would not be the first town to vote against this overreach.”

    The new district could be formally created relatively soon. The plan will now be sent to the state Attorney General’s Office, which has 90 days to approve the new zoning.

    The section of the district off River Road has sparked some concern since there is little infrastructure there. The area is dominated by parking lots, corporate buildings, restaurants and a hotel.

    “The river district aims to transform the area into a vibrant village-like feel,” said Jennifer Lemmerman, who chairs the volunteer group that drew up the district proposal.

    The location is not within a half mile of a MBTA transit station for the commuter rail line, though it does have a bus stop.

    The downtown zone would allow for up to 1,234 units with 119 in Ballardvale and 768 off River Road. The zone would allow for a unit density of up to 23.2 units per acre, with 17 units per acre for Ballardvale and 39 units per acre for the River Road area.

    Select Board Chair Melissa Danisch said the district is a “measured and thoughtful response” to the state’s requirement.

    “Reflects that fellow residents were listening,” she said.

    Danisch also spoke of the millions of dollars in the grants the town could lose if it does not comply with the law.

    State Sen. Barry Finegold, who received the opportunity to vote on MBTA zoning for the second time, also voiced his support.

    “I did vote for this because it is the right thing to do,” he said. “It has become impossible to afford to come to this community.”

    The proposed district has been well-received by officials. It would boost growth in town and pave the way for more private investment in infrastructure, they said.

    Some residents have voiced concerns that having more people in town would put a greater strain on school services. School and planning officials have said that would not necessarily be the case with enrollment more heavily tied to turnover of current housing stock rather than the construction of new units.

    The district would allow for up to 2,121 housing units – 90 more than previously allowed. Officials have said the state recommends a small buffer.

    A map of the districts can be found at andoverma.gov/1069/Multifamily-Overlay-District.

    A commuter rail line snakes through town and has stations in Ballardvale and the downtown.

    The state law was met with a mixed response from community officials around the state. Not complying with the law could carry serious consequences.

    In addition to the potential loss of grants, municipalities could also face legal action. Milton is being sued by the state after its residents chose to vote against a proposed district.

    At Town Meeting, one resident advocated for only approving the district once the legality of the state requirement was settled through the lawsuit.

    Andover had until the end of this year to approve the district or face consequences from the state.

    [ad_2]

    By Teddy Tauscher | ttauscher@eagletribune.com

    Source link

  • North Shore towns weigh MBTA zoning law

    North Shore towns weigh MBTA zoning law

    [ad_1]

    Hamilton, Ipswich, Topsfield and several other North Shore communities have until Dec. 31 to adopt zoning that complies with the MBTA Communities Law requiring multifamily zoning districts of at least 50-acres in size with at least 15 units per acre.

    After the law was first passed in 2021, communities have spent the last few years formulating action plans, identifying potential districts for rezoning, collecting and considering public input and hiring consultants. They’ve also been creating MBTA task forces made up of local municipal leaders, resident volunteers, architects, and other stakeholders.

    All the communities that submitted an action plan to the state and had it approved — including Topsfield, Wenham, Ipswich and Hamilton — are technically in compliance with the MBTA Communities Law, as they have demonstrated an effort to rezone districts that follow the bylaw. However, they still have to vote to approve the newly zoned districts at Town Meeting this year, the majority of which will take place in the fall.

    As such, many North Shore communities have made an effort to involve affected residents in the decision-making process and hold public meetings to explain what the bylaw requires, how the community will handle the effect on services and infrastructure, and listen to and act on residents’ concerns.

    “We’re trying to maximize our public outreach on this for the community. The typical reaction to this is hesitancy and some opposition, because it’s not well understood,” Wenham Planning Board Vice Chair Dan Pasquarello said. “What we tried to make clear in our (previous info session) was that this is a zoning exercise, it’s not necessarily a building exercise. and I think that’s really important for people to understand.”

    In Danvers, Special Town Meeting in February approved a measure to amend zoning bylaws to come into compliance with the housing law. This didn’t come without opposition.

    “I’m aware of emails circulating saying that (this bylaw) should be opposed because it will ruin our town. This article is not going to ruin Danvers Square or result in any taller or bigger buildings than what has been envisioned in existing zoning,” said Danvers Select Board Chair David Mills at the time. “It will simply adjust the minimum density of our downtown to ensure that we are in compliance with a new state law. Non-compliance will cost us money.”

    Also that month in Milton, proposed zoning for that town was rejected at Town Meeting, leading to Milton losing out on grant funding, and prompting a lawsuit from Attorney General Andrea Campbell who has stated that compliance is mandatory.

    “The housing affordability crisis affects all of us: Families who face impossible choices between food on the table or a roof over their heads, young people who want to live here but are driven away by the cost, and a growing workforce we cannot house,” said Campbell in a press release on the lawsuit. “The MBTA Communities Law was enacted to address our region-wide need for housing, and compliance with it is mandatory.”

    To achieve compliance in Wenham, the town needs to adopt zoning to allow 365 units, with 73 of them within a half-mile of the train station. Wenham and Hamilton, which share a train station, are classified as “commuter rail communities” with more strict zoning guidelines, presenting a unique challenge to the towns.

    “We have to be within the half-mile radius (of the Hamilton/Wenham Station),” Margaret Hoffman, Wenham’s planning coordinator said. “So one of the unique challenges that Wenham and Hamilton face is that we have to share this station and we essentially only have a small half-circle radius to zone within.”

    Hamilton, which has to zone for 731 units, plans to utilize “form based zoning” to ensure that any potential developments follow specific building form and architectural design standards.

    “The bigger lift is going to be when developers actually look at the property to see what’s attainable and workable, and how much infrastructure they’re going to have to create to make it viable,” Patrick Reffett, Hamilton’s director of planning & inspectional services, said. “I think there’s a great deal of angst about the notion of this level of growth. and I totally get it — it’s scary if you don’t understand that the onus is really on the developers.”

    Cities and towns without a commuter rail station that are classified as “adjacent communities” or “adjacent small towns” have a lesser obligation to zone for multifamily and mixed-used development, but still required to allow developments within this zone “by-right” without the need for a special permit.

    In Topsfield, which is an adjacent small town and must zone for 118 multifamily units, Planning Board members have worked with consultant Ezra Glenn to identify areas in town where multifamily zoning would allow the town to comply with the bylaw.

    The town also plan to diversify its housing stock and make use of underutilized properties, a goal the town had previously set in its master plan.

    One option Topsfield is looking at is the 15.8 acres at the intersection of Central Street and Route 1, an area with easy accessibility to the highway and the rail trail.

    “We want to be clear amidst all this talk about how nothing is actually required to be built, that this isn’t to be taken as having no purpose. (The Planning Board) did not design the zone in a way in which nothing would be built,” Topsfield Selectboard Chair Marshall Hook said during a recent public info session.

    “I think there are towns that have tried to do that, but that was not the intent here,” he said. “I think we all see this as an opportunity and hope that things actually do get built.”

    Ipswich, which has a train station, is required to zone for 971 multifamily units. It has put significant effort into identifying potential districts for rezoning and collecting feedback from residents on their preferred location.

    The town is attempting to aggregate the feedback received in task force meetings open to the public, and from surveys about traffic, infrastructure, and design concerns that will lead up to a Special Town Meeting in the fall where a plan will be proposed.

    “(In the last survey) there’s 10 or so guiding principles that residents identified,” Director of Planning and Development Brendan Conboy said. “The top ones would be emphasizing green construction, encouraging mixed use downtown, elevating the quality of the design, and directing growth to infrastructure.

    “A little further down the line on preferences, but still relevant, was the affordability, consistency with previous plans, and encouraging diversity in town,” he said.

    Ipswich is scheduled to hold a task-force meeting on April 3 at 7 p.m. in Town Hall, and another on April 25 at the same place and time, with a broader community meeting in May. In Hamilton, Town Meeting will be asked on April 6 to approve funds to hire a consultant. Wenham plans to hold an info session about the work done thus far in May.

    Further information about the housing law can be found at mass.gov/info-details/section-3a-guidelines.

    Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202

    [ad_2]

    By Michael McHugh | Staff Writer

    Source link

  • City councilor calls library cost estimate ‘almost dishonest’

    City councilor calls library cost estimate ‘almost dishonest’

    [ad_1]

    BEVERLY — A city councilor accused Mayor Mike Cahill’s administration of being “almost dishonest” about the cost of a proposed library project that has ballooned to $18 million.

    In a public hearing at City Hall on Monday night, Ward 1 Councilor Todd Rotondo criticized city officials for telling city councilors two years ago that the project would cost $3.75 million. Cahill is now asking the council to approve the project at a cost of $18 million.

    “It wasn’t with malicious intent but it really was almost dishonest,” Rotondo said of the original $3.75 million estimate. “We weren’t presented a whole picture of the project originally.”

    The comment prompted a heated exchange with Mike Collins, the city’s director of public services and engineering.

    “I’m curious, were you insinuating that we were lying to you?” Collins asked Rotondo. “That’s the way I heard it.”

    “I don’t think I said that,” Rotondo responded. “What I said was, well, OK yes, I would say that then.”

    Rotondo said everyone he’s spoken with about the project assumed that the $3.75 million was a high price, but was the full scope of the project.

    “So it almost is a little distrustful, yes,” he said to Collins. “So I’m sorry if that’s the way you feel, but yes it’s not a full truth.”

    “It’s not how I feel, it’s how you feel, so I just wanted to clarify that,” Collins said.

    The City Council did not take a vote on the project Monday night, instead continuing the public hearing until its next meeting on March 18.

    The project calls for installing a new geothermal heating and cooling system at the Beverly Public Library on Essex Street as well as other improvements to the building. City officials say the HVAC system is failing and the building lacks humidity control, an important feature in the storage of historic records.

    The City Council approved an initial $2 million for the project in June 2022 based on an estimated cost of $3.75 million. But when the project came back before the council in January, councilors were told the cost was now $18 million.

    Rotondo asked Collins why the original estimate did not include such costs as accessibility upgrades and other “soft costs.” Collins said that estimate was “just a relative cost comparison of different options” and “wasn’t a fully developed project.”

    “What we were asking for was money to pursue developing the selected option out to its fullest extent so that we could then come back to the council with a fully developed project and request funding,” Collins said.

    Members of the project team hired by the city spent nearly two hours presenting details of the project. Bryant Ayles, the city’s finance director, said the city can afford to borrow money for the library as well as for two other upcoming renovation projects, to City Hall and the McPherson Youth Center.

    The library project is in line to receive about $7.8 million in grants, incentives and credits under various energy programs, significantly reducing the cost for the city, officials said. They said the proposed geothermal system, which involves installing a “geothermal well field” under the library parking lot, will reduce the city’s greenhouse gas footprint.

    “It will give us the best overall project and the lowest total operating costs and the lowest cost of ownership over the life of the project,” Collins said. “I still stand by that.”

    If the City Council approves the project, construction would start in August and the library would be closed for six to eight months during construction, according to the project team’s presentation.

    Beatrice Heinze, a Conant Street resident who spoke as part of the public hearing, said she thinks geothermal systems are “wonderful.” But she questioned the cost of the project, noting that as a taxpayer she is also paying for the credits and incentives that the city would receive.

    “I take $18 million out of this pocket to Beverly. Then I take $8 million out of this pocket to the feds to give back to Beverly. Then I pay a big added-on to my National Grid bill to give a carbon credit back to Beverly,” Heinze said.

    Ward 5 Councilor Kathleen Feldman said she believes the geothermal system “still makes the most sense long-term for our city.” “But the sticker shock was a lot for all of us to handle,” she said.

    Staff Writer Paul Leighton can be reached at 978-338-2535, by email at pleighton@salemnews.com, or on Twitter at @heardinbeverly.

    [ad_2]

    By Paul Leighton | Staff Writer

    Source link

  • Divided panel calls for shift away from natural gas

    Divided panel calls for shift away from natural gas

    [ad_1]

    BOSTON — A divided state commission is calling for more aggressive steps to shift Massachusetts away from its reliance on natural gas for energy, but it’s not clear if state lawmakers will take up any of the proposed changes.

    In a report to the state Legislature, the Gas System Enhancement Working Group takes more steps to shift the state’s utilities away from installing gas infrastructure in the state. In some cases, the changes include only those to one or two words in the state laws on fixing gas leaks.

    But the panel, which included state regulators, environmental groups, labor leaders and representatives of utility companies, was unable to reach a consensus on many of the proposed regulatory changes.

    One proposal called for a shift from “replacement” to “repair” of leak-prone natural gas lines, which proponents argued would save ratepayers money and accelerate the state’s transition from fossil fuels to wind, solar and other renewable energy. But the utility panelists voted against in opposition, arguing that it would compromise safety and exceed the working group’s mandate.

    “A shift in policy that prioritizes repair over replacement does not reduce the risk that leak-prone pipes pose to people, property, and the environment,” they wrote in a summary of the report. “Both cast iron and cathodically unprotected steel will continue to pose concerns as they age.”

    The panel was created under a 2014 state law that requires utilities to track and grade all gas leaks on a scale of 1 to 3, with 1 being most serious, and immediately repair the most hazardous.

    The panel’s report noted that Massachusetts gas companies are spending more than $800 million a year installing new gas mains to replace aging leak-prone pipes. The new pipes have a lifespan of 50 years and will be paid for by energy consumers in the form of higher rates, they noted.

    But the report’s authors said estimates suggest utilities will spend $34 billion on new gas infrastructure, which would not be fully paid for until 2097. They noted that as more properties are retrofitted with heat pumps to replace gas, fewer customers will be on the gas distribution system.

    “However, that gas system will still have the same number of miles of pipe, with the same fixed maintenance costs,” Audrey Schulman, a panelist and director of the Home Energy Efficiency Team, a Cambridge nonprofit, wrote in a summary of the report. “These maintenance costs will be shouldered by fewer and fewer gas customers, making the customers overall gas bills increase.”

    Schulman said the state is “wasting money and time now by installing long-lived combustion infrastructure, while knowing that combustion is going away.”

    “Instead we are investing significantly and actively in the gas and electric system at the same time, without thinking through how to synergize the work to reduce the cost and increase the speed,” she wrote.

    “It is as though we are taking out a mortgage to replace the foundation on our horse’s stable, even after we’ve ordered an electric car,” Schulman added.

    Massachusetts utilities are under increasing pressure to employ alternatives to natural gas to comply with requirements of a climate change bill approved last year that requires the state to reduce its emissions to “net-zero” of 1990 levels by 2050.

    Meanwhile, environmental groups have been prodding the state to force utilities to move away from new natural gas infrastructure as the state seeks to diversify its energy portfolio to include solar, wind and other renewable sources of power.

    But industry officials argue the state will continue to need natural gas for a large portion of its energy, even as it turns to more renewable sources.

    Roughly half of New England’s energy comes from natural gas, according to ISO New England, which oversees the regional power grid.

    Critics have also noted the pocketbook costs to consumers from replacing natural gas infrastructure in homes and businesses.

    Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com.

    [ad_2]

    By Christian M. Wade | Statehouse Reporter

    Source link

  • Nicole Scherzinger uses CBD gummies to help her whirring mind sleep: ‘They’re legal in LA!’ | Entertainment News – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

    Nicole Scherzinger uses CBD gummies to help her whirring mind sleep: ‘They’re legal in LA!’ | Entertainment News – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

    [ad_1]

    Nicole Scherzinger takes Cannabidiol gummies to help her sleep.

    The former Pussycat Doll, 45, who splits her time between Los Angeles and Britain, and takes them to help her wired brain sleep after starting her days at 6.30am with exercise and maybe not getting to bed until 4am.

    She told The Sunday Times: “CBD gummies are legal in LA. They work for me.”

    Despite millions of users hailing CBD for helping them with everything from pain to anxiety, CBD can cause side effects, such as dry mouth, diarrhoea, reduced appetite, drowsiness and fatigue.

    It can also interact with other medications such as blood thinners, with experts also warning about the unreliability of the purity and dosage of CBD in products.

    Nicole gets up 6.30am, takes a sauna “to sweat out toxins”, and works out with her trainer before rehearsing from 10am – six days a week – for her role as Norma Desmond in the play ‘Sunset Boulevard’, which is running on London’s West End until January 2024.

    The cast of the show tease her for always working through lunch break and at 6pm she goes home for a shift of phone calls to her team in LA and makes notes before getting to bed “at 12, if I’m doing good” and “if I’m not, more like 4”.

    Nicole – whose therapist once told her “I lash myself forward”, added about her relentless work ethic: “My mentality is: if…

    [ad_2]

    MMP News Author

    Source link

  • LandMentor – Neighborhood Design Technology & Education to Increase Living Standards, Reduce Costs, & Environmental Impact – Now Free

    LandMentor – Neighborhood Design Technology & Education to Increase Living Standards, Reduce Costs, & Environmental Impact – Now Free

    [ad_1]

    LandMentor is a market-proven solution in innovative design, surveying, architecture & engineering methods with technology to solve growth problems.

    Press Release
    –

    Jun 27, 2022


    MINNEAPOLIS, June 27, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    With today’s escalating construction costs and increased interest rates, the LandMentor System is being offered for free to those involved on the private and government side of growth and redevelopment.   

    Neighborhood Innovations, LLC is gifting this free system on July 1, 2022, to developers, builders, consultants and municipalities. It will increase living standards, greenspace, values, and connectivity – while decreasing costs and environmental impacts.

    LandMentor is a ‘System‘ that blends technology with an education in advanced market-proven design methods. It should decrease the infrastructure needed to develop land between 5 and 40 percent compared to conventional development patterns. This has obvious economic and environmental benefits.

    It was time to share the system:

    Neighborhood Innovations, LLC wanted to make a gift to the world to solve problems facing growth, from the regulatory (government) side and the design (consulting) side. With over 1,500 developments in 48 states and 18 nations designed with LandMentor, the firm felt it was time we spread the knowledge and share its technical advantage to the world.

    How can LandMentor improve the world’s growth? 

    CAD & GIS software companies serving the growth industry automate geometric relationships that have been in place for centuries.  

    Other software offerings boast that hundred lots can be designed and calculated in a few minutes, producing cookie-cutter subdivisions, but not likely a great place to live and raise a family. How could it be, with a minute of thought behind it?  

    To address this, LandMentor introduces an industry-first – a software packaged with a holistic industry education. For example, does Microsoft Word instantly make a great author? Obviously, no. But what if it was packaged with a complete education in storytelling or technical writing?

    Reducing (or eliminating) the dependence on CAD:

    LandMentor has no commands, and its patented graphic & video prompts make all tasks easier, quick to learn, and enjoyable.

    A ‘Surface Based’ solution:

    The world consists of surfaces – not lines and curves, and those surfaces have environmental and economic consequences. LandMentor reports surface impacts with easy-to-understand charts. Designers can take action to reduce waste, and cities can communicate the waste to the developer. 

    Changing the Way the Industry Communicates:

    LandMentor ‘video gaming’ interactive 3D is easily created from normal planning, surveying, and engineering tasks. Most users today will be familiar with video gaming. Thus, no learning curve. Its ‘plug & play’ VR headset support transports users into a meta virtual environment.  

    What’s Included? 

    All is needed is to download the ‘system’ from www.landmentor.com and dedicate the time (about a week or two) to go through the included initial training (video and PowerPoint with examples) as well as the internal textbooks under the Help menu. LandMentor reverts to a subscription model in 2024. Pricing is to be based on the volume of users (projected to be 10% to 20% the cost of CAD).

    About LandMentor.com:

    LandMentor was developed by Neighborhood Innovations, LLC, a software spin-off of Rick Harrison Site Design Studio which is a Land Planning research firm to discover new methods of design, engineering, surveying, and architecture. Its profits funded the software development.

    Richard Harrison, President

    763-545-0216

    rharrison@landmentor.com

    Source: Neighborhood Innovations, LLC

    [ad_2]

    Source link