To the Editor,
Here are some questions our Town needs better answers to regarding the new MBTA Zoning Law which requires our small town to have 37 acres (approximately 18 of these acres must be within a half mile of the train station) of By Right development (meaning no notice to abutters, no appeal rights by residents to State Courts). Moreover, the State will not allow any burdensome restrictions on this type of multifamily zoning. There must be a minimum gross density of 15 units per acre, so 555 residential units (which is about one quarter of Manchester’s existing housing stock). Each of these zones must be five contiguous acres. There is no affordable housing requirement. (However, Guidelines permit up to 10% affordable and more if a case can be made.) The MBTA housing must not have any age restrictions and is not controlled in terms of the number of bedrooms to be included in the units.
1. What is the effect (both monetarily and on the quality of life) of a possible build out of the 555 potential new housing units in our small town? The MBTA law states we must have multifamily by right zoning, and we are not required to build anything. However, at the September 25th MBTA Task Force Zoning Subcommittee, member Denny Hall noted in words to this effect that it would be advantageous for developers to buy an existing home for about $800,000, demolish it and build 15 condos selling for $1.6 million each.
It is naive to think we are just going to have new zoning laws on the books to satisfy the State and no new development, and that our many historic homes that are within a half mile of the train station aren’t at risk of being demolished since right now we have no protection. Even a demolition delay bylaw will not fully protect historically significant structures.
2. What happens to our schools, fire, police, ambulance, roads, water, sewer, traffic, parking with this potential new development? This needs to be evaluated similarly to our due diligence impact studies previously done on the SLV 40B. The MBTA Task Force heard from Mr. Federspiel on possible loss of future grant money, but this is only one side of the picture. A cost/benefit analysis needs to be done, weighing loss of potential grant money against potential cost of services, increase in population, and an impact on quality of life.
In the September 29th Cricket, Mr. Federspiel writes of the town’s “need for infrastructure improvements…. Identifying some $100 million in new facility needs over the next ten-fifteen years.” What happens to our infrastructure if many new homes with many new residents created by the new MBTA zoning is added to this scenario?
3. How do we protect our historic homes that are within a half mile of the train station from the risk of demolition thereby changing the character and charm of our small town? Our current zoning allows for by right multifamily housing in the General District. However, our current zoning requirement of five parking spaces for a three-family home makes it more difficult for developers to buy a home/demolish/build multiple units. Will the Town be able to put this same parking restriction on any MBTA housing as the state will not allow any onerous restrictions on the new MBTA zoning.
4. What will happen if we just say NO? Does the cost to our Town outweigh any grant monies? The Attorney General has stated that failure to obey the law will lead to consequences beyond the loss of grant money. What will the State do if many towns band together and just say NO! Is our Town in contact with other towns to discuss this?
I love the quaint charm and beauty of Manchester. I love that you can still see children on their bikes unaccompanied by an adult, pedestrians, and cyclists travelling safely in town. I am concerned for the potential of this MBTA zoning to dramatically alter our town with traffic, congestion and the replacement of our homes and downtown businesses with multi-level modern apartment buildings and parking garages. Please stay informed, let our town officials know what you think, and attend future Town Meetings.
Liz Colbert
Manchester
