by Kathy and Peter Burns
To the Editor,
Since moving to Manchester a few years ago my family has been impressed with the kindness, attitudes, and respectfulness of people here. Our great neighbors, helpful businesspeople, and town employees who are welcoming and informative create an exceptional community.
A few recent Cricket letters to the editor aside, most MBTA zoning letters and meetings contained accurate information to help residents vote on proposed zoning changes. To decide on our vote, we considered factual information, traditions, social justice, and the inevitably of change, as Isabella Bates wisely discussed in her letter two weeks ago.
Here is why we are voting “yes” next week.
Manchester lacks reasonably priced and sized housing. The $1.2 million-dollar median home value makes Manchester homes off limits to most police, fire, school, other municipal employees, grown children and retired parents of residents, and people moving into this region – all who could make wonderful neighbors and friends, and deserve consideration.
Diverse housing sizes, a result of the proposed zoning, encourage a range of ages and income levels. Many people, young and old, don’t want large homes. We need more small-scale homes to meet the needs of current and future residents.
Without “market-rate” housing (as required) and likely new residents, we lose new ideas and cultural diversity. The loss of a range of new voices limits our town in many ways.
A “yes” vote retains the town’s right to review site plans for all housing. Current zoning design standards require consistency with existing buildings, and the town has authority over compliance with building codes and other essentials to insure safe and appropriate housing.
A “no” vote triggers state decisions on MBTA zoning. The State will create their own zoning districts and impose their zoning criteria. While the town plan has “layers of control” to address over-building and other issues, the State may decide not to consider that or other local interests.
With a “no” vote, our tax dollars (that fund our State grants) will be partially or totally lost. Others already described in detail the specific financial losses. The loss of millions of grants force a choice between the failure to do basic infrastructure work (e.g., sewers) or higher taxes.
The law does not allow for noncompliance. Penalties might be altered through expensive litigation, but it’s worth asking, “to what end?” And there’s no guarantee that penalties will not increase as a result of that.
We can maintain local control over how progress happens or cede it to the state. We can welcome inevitable change or live with the chaos, cost, and acrimony imposed by legal actions to delay it, meanwhile depriving ourselves of much needed scaled down housing.
The proposed plan to address the MBTA zoning law’s requirements is a step in the right direction for us all and will result in measured, considerate and important improvements in Manchester’s housing.
Kathy and Peter Burns
Manchester
