Boston Globe: "Here are the 12 communities that haven’t passed a new state-approved housing plan yet"

"Five years after it began, the fight over a controversial state housing law is nearly over.

The final compliance deadline for the MBTA Communities Act — the 2021 law that requires cities and towns served by the T make room for more multifamily housing — came and went at the end of 2025. And after a series of sometimes-bruising local fights, 165 of the 177 cities and towns the law covers have passed zoning intended to comply with it.

The remaining noncompliant towns are: Carver, Dracut, East Bridgewater, Freetown, Halifax, Holden, Marblehead, Middleton, Rehoboth, Tewksbury, Wilmington, and Winthrop.

That just 12 communities are considered out of compliance represents significant progress for Governor Maura Healey’s administration, which embraced the nearly-passed law when Healey took office in 2022."

Continue reading the article online with this 'sharing' link ->

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/05/07/business/boston-housing-mbta-communities-law-towns/?s_campaign=sharetool_copypaste_view

Note: the map is 'inaccurate' at least as far as Franklin is concerned. While we have made zoning changes, there are a couple of technical changes out for Planning Board approval to come back to the Town Council for approval to bring us into full compliance. We were almost there when the whole MBTA community thing started due to the work we had already begun with Franklin For All.  Prior maps usually were shown as compliant, or pending, or not. We were in the pending status previously.

Autumn Hill development proposed for Summer St

With the scheduled public hearing before the Planning Board for the proposed 44 unit senior and inclusionary housing condominium on Summer St, it is good to go deep in the archives to be aware of the prior development for the same property.

A special report collected the history of the Residential VII zoning proposed for rezoning the property at the time which failed to gain approval.

The new proposal comes forward without a zoning change required only a couple of special permits (per public hearing notice  https://www.franklinma.gov/legal-notices/agenda/488-496-summer-street-autumn-hill-senior-village-planning-board)

The 5 post series can be found 

http://www.franklinmatters.org/2017/01/part-5-full-residential-vii-timeline.html

The Autum Hill plans as submitted can be found 

https://www.franklinma.gov/planning-board/pages/autumn-hill-senior-village-488-and-496-summer-street-02022024

Autumn Hill development proposed for Summer St

Public hearing notice: Planning Board to hear about Autumn Hill Condominiums - Mon, Feb 26

In accordance with the Town of Franklin Zoning By-Laws, the Franklin Planning Board will hold a public hearing at the Town Hall (and can also be attended remotely) on Monday, February 26, 2024 at 7:00 PM in the Town Council Chambers of the Franklin Municipal Building, 355 East Central Street, for a Special Permit and Site Plan application titled “Autumn Hill Condominiums” prepared by Legacy Engineering LLC, Millis, MA, and submitted to the Department of Planning & Community Development on February 2, 2024, by Suejo Corp., Wrentham, MA.

The property is located in the Rural Residential I Zoning District (Assessors Map 302 Lot 6 and 8) at 488 and 496 Summer Street. The applicant is proposing to construct a 44-unit senior village with inclusionary housing. The applicant is applying for two (2) special permits, (1) Chapter 185, section 48: Senior Village Overlay District and (2) Chapter 185, section 51: Inclusionary Housing.

Please note: This will be your only written notice of this public hearing. Should the Planning Board vote to continue this Public Hearing, the date and time will be posted on the Planning Board’s website under Agendas.

Please contact the Department of Planning & Community Development at (508) 520-4907 if you

require further information or if you need to make arrangements to provide translation services for

the hearing impaired, or for persons with language barriers.

Copies of the plan and supporting documentation may be reviewed in the Department of Planning & Community Development during regular office hours.

Greg Rondeau, 

Chairman

Shared from 

https://www.franklinma.gov/legal-notices/agenda/488-496-summer-street-autumn-hill-senior-village-planning-board

The plans as submitted can be found 

https://www.franklinma.gov/planning-board/pages/autumn-hill-senior-village-488-and-496-summer-street-02022024

Amy Dain published her exclusionary zoning research (video)

Amy Dain (@amydain) posted at 4:25 PM on Thu, Nov 09, 2023:

In case you missed it, here is the presentation of my research on the history of exclusionary zoning in Boston's suburbs.

https://t.co/ZuzT8JttzR  or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RL2rdeie2jY

 

---------

Report presentation from Amy Dain at the November 8, 2023 release event for "Exclusionary by Design: An Investigation of Zoning's Use as a Tool of Race, Class, and Family Exclusion in Boston's Suburbs, 1920s to Today," which was released as part of Boston Indicators’ Racial Wealth Equity Resource Center. Read the full report here: https://www.bostonindicators.org/reports/report-detail-pages/exclusionary-by-design

Direct link to PDF report -> https://www.bostonindicators.org/-/media/indicators/boston-indicators-reports/report-files/exclusionarybydesign_report_nov_8.pdf

Shared from Twitter -> https://twitter.com/amydain/status/1722727218290336046

Inclusionary zoning bylaw approved by Town Council in key action at meeting May 3 (audio)

FM #991 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 991 in the series.

The Franklin (MA) Town Council met on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 for their regular meeting and covered a number of items. One of the major achievements was the passage of the inclusionary zoning bylaw. This was one of the action items from the Franklin For All project and a significant accomplishment.

Among the other news worthy items on the agenda were

• All alcohol license approved for Sierra's Brick Oven Pizza
• Corporate record license changes for both Longhorn Restaurant and the 99 Restaurant were approved
• Financial Audit report for FY 2022 reveals a clean report, no actions, no management letter, the Town maintains their AAA rating status
• Presentation from the Charles River Pollution Control District
• Update on the long awaited Beaver St interceptor, bids came in below expectations, sewer rates will rise and remain to pay for the 20 year borrowing costs of this major infrastructure project
• PFAS regulation increases proposed by EPA can cost us significantly. Well 7 is currently offline, more wells may be in jeopardy of shutdown due to increased monitoring. Yet, PFAS is still being made, is a forever chemical and is major concern for future water supply quality and cost thereof

Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-991-franklin-ma-town-council-mtg-05-03-23

--------------

The full agenda and documents associated with it can be found online ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/04/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-for-may.html

Franklin TV's video recording of the meeting is available for replay on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/live/mhRDmkdk7og?feature=share

My notes captured via Twitter can be found in one PDF. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gWiBSq_Q8vMNIUKv32jeLQtMypvF8fTb/view?usp=share_link

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

 

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda for the May 3, 2023 Meeting

Town Council approves inclusionary zoning & first reading on sewer rate increase among items on a full meeting agenda (video)

The Franklin (MA) Town Council met on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 for their regular meeting and covered a number of items. One of the major achievements was the passage of the inclusionary zoning bylaw. This was one of the action items from the Franklin For All project and a significant accomplishment.

Among the other news worthy items on the agenda were

• All alcohol license approved for Sierra's Brick Oven Pizza
• Corporate record license changes for both Longhorn Restaurant and the 99 Restaurant were approved
• Financial Audit report for FY 2022reveals a clean report, no actions, no management letter, the Town maintains their AAA rating status
• Presentation from the Charles River Pollution Control District
• Update on the long awaited Beaver St interceptor, bids came in below expectations, sewer rates will rise and remain to pay for the 20 year borrowing costs of this major infrastructure project
• PFAS regulation increases proposed by EPA can cost us significantly. Well 7 is currently offline, more wells may be in jeopardy of shutdown due to increased monitoring. Yet, PFAS is still being made, is a forever chemical and is major concern for future water supply quality and cost thereof

The full agenda and documents associated with it can be found online ->   https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/04/franklin-ma-town-council-agenda-for-may.html

Franklin TV's video recording of the meeting is available for replay on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/live/mhRDmkdk7og?feature=share

My notes captured via Twitter can be found in one PDF. My full recap and the meeting audio will be ready in a couple of days ->

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gWiBSq_Q8vMNIUKv32jeLQtMypvF8fTb/view?usp=share_link

Franklin, MA: Town Council - Agenda for the May 3, 2023 Meeting

Town Council approves Curry House alcohol license change, hears about health alliance, moves Inclusionary Zoning along to 2nd reading (audio)

FM #973 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 973 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares the Town Council meeting held in Council Chambers on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. 8 members of the Council were present in the Council Chambers (D Pellegri absent & unable to participate).

Quick recap:

• License ownership changes for the alcohol license at The Curry House were approved

• Health Director Cathleen Liberty provides insights on the Metacomet Health Alliance and the benefits to Franklin  

• The inclusionary zoning proposal back from the Planning Board review was moved to a second reading, one step closer to approval

• The 3-part package of zoning changes for accessory dwelling units was moved forward from the EDC Plus recommendation with a contentious somewhat modification to refer to the Planning Board for their review. It will come back to the Town Council for their review and potential approval vote sometime in the near future

• FY 2024 budget should be ready for review by Friday, with the Finance Committee and Town Council hears set for May

The recording runs 2 and 40 minutes. Let’s listen to the Town Council meeting on April 12, 2023.  Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-973-franklin-ma-town-council-mtg-04-12-23

--------------

The agenda doc can also be found on the Town of Franklin page ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/town_council_agenda_-_april_12_2023.pdf 

Metacomet Health Alliance presentation -> https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/8a._presentation_metacomet_2.pptx.pdf 

My notes in one PDF file -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OcCY239kVmLdAiMS2FFZSMQyS7JWcCoZ/view?usp=share_link 

My quick notes and the meeting video -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/04/town-council-moves-inclusionary-zoning.html 

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

 

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

Town Council approves Curry House alcohol license change, hears about health alliance, moves Inclusionary Zoning along to 2nd reading (audio)

This Town Council Quarterbacking session gets inside the zoning changes; inclusionary and accessory dwelling units (audio)

FM #972 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 972 in the series. 

This shares my conversation with Town Council Chair Tom Mercer in our Town Council Quarterbacking session. This is one of the series of conversations meant to provide a recap of the prior night’s Town Council meeting. 

Akin to one of the many sports post-game analysis broadcasts we are familiar with in New England, this would be a discussion focused on the Franklin Town Council meeting of Apr 12, 2023: 

• ok, what just happened? 

• What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?

We cover the following key topics

• Police Station Building Committee

• Second readings on lot line changes, the last bulks ones for now

• Public hearing on the inclusionary zoning changes back from Planning Board, move to second reading

• Accessory dwelling unit bylaw proposals referred to planning board

• Budget coming out Friday, hearing schedule set for Finance Cmte May 8, 10, 11 & Council for May 24, 25

Links to the meeting agenda and associated documents released for this meeting are included in the show notes. 

Our conversation runs about 32 minutes. Let’s listen to the Town Council Quarterbacking session recorded Apr 13, 2023. Audi file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-972-town-council-quarterbacking-04-13-23

--------------

The agenda doc can also be found on the Town of Franklin page ->   https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/town_council_agenda_-_april_12_2023.pdf

My notes in one PDF file -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/1OcCY239kVmLdAiMS2FFZSMQyS7JWcCoZ/view?usp=share_link 

My quick notes and the meeting video -> https://www.franklinmatters.org/2023/04/town-council-moves-inclusionary-zoning.html 

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

This Town Council Quarterbacking session gets inside the zoning changes; inclusionary and accessory dwelling units (audio)