Madalene Village docs from the archives

The initial application information and series of documents as Madalene Village moved through the Franklin approval cycle had been posted here and while the posts are available, the links to the docs themselves got broken over time.

The Mass EPA has scheduled hearing and input sessions for their portion of the approval required, in particular to the proposed move of the stream (at least as I understand it).

I have recreated the links in chronological order, newest first, oldest last. If you are looking for something and it doesn't appear here, let me know and I'll if I have it.

Developer Letter - Feb 2017

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczTWNCb2xaMTR3VnpJbjU5WmltOE81NGg5bmVn/view?usp=share_link&resourcekey=0-VsXX3K27SuPGlEps0YYXmw

Town Engineer memo Feb 2017

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczREF1UFJEN0s4Z191bUtXdFlkZ1lfWUxTdXpj/view?usp=share_link&resourcekey=0-Ly6IU3-GjrOUMEeWf8773A

Storm water report - revised Dec 2016

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczM3hIMzJzd0VmaEk/view?usp=share_link&resourcekey=0-HlYSo0ig7DxQ24DtOcufYw

Storm water report Nov 2016

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczMGp4Vm1QeWpFb28/view?usp=share_link&resourcekey=0-KLuZEdnhWpjVvZsEIrViWg

Local Bylaw - follow up Dec 2016

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczdmRYeEotTm5sV2s/view?usp=share_link&resourcekey=0-RAnBMkpa3PPW3rHNiBIf9w

ConComm local bylaw - Dec 2016

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczNlM2M1FvY01hSE0/view?usp=share_link&resourcekey=0-OkVFL4aV1UeH76-pJ34Bfw

Architectural Narrative - Apr 2106

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczXzNlTDNwNjJkRE0/view?usp=share_link&resourcekey=0-iqwmH9nKH0N8-yJOK0fA9g

Site approval letter - Apr 2016

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczSEFEVjcwb2dlcDA/view?usp=share_link&resourcekey=0-w4wsF4HDGlHRKBmVuVdHnA

Franklin Concerns - Apr 2106

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczSzlyYURXTGxJSmM/view?usp=share_link&resourcekey=0-iHZpD5iRE0fz2rPvuBATTg

Madalene Village docs from the archives

Project Narrative document

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczXzNlTDNwNjJkRE0/view?usp=share_link&resourcekey=0-iqwmH9nKH0N8-yJOK0fA9g

Plan for the Foundation

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczVHQtcEx5em4zTTQ/view?usp=share_link&resourcekey=0-KDt0g5Qhw-NSbFFFPzjerA

Plan for the first Floor

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczTzRoSjhSQ3pWZVE/view?usp=share_link&resourcekey=0-Czjx3emYkD7SfHeq3k7E9A

Plan for the Second floor

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczZ0VXYXZOV18zbGc/view?usp=share_link&resourcekey=0-lMlhueSGnpoYsQk3ekWDYw

Front view and Rear view

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczREZVTjAyZmZYNkU/view?usp=share_link&resourcekey=0-qsM8eHchkhrrFwZ6VITakw

JPG of building as proposed

unit model and elevation

Public Notice Of Environmental Review: Madalene Village, 40B Development Project - Jan 18 at 6:30 PM

PUBLIC NOTICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW

PROJECT: Madalene Village, 40B Development Project 

LOCATION: Cottage Street, Franklin Massachusetts 

PROPONENT: Rich Whittington of MV Cottage Development, LLC

The proponent has submitted an Expanded Environmental Notification Form ("ENF") / Environmental Impact Report ("EIR") to the Secretary of Energy & Environmental Affairs, and was published on December 231 2022 in the Environmental Monitor.

This application is pursuant to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act ("MEPA," M.G.L. c. 30, ss. 61-62L). Copies of the ENF/EIR are available at the:

Franklin Public Library, at 118 Main Street in Franklin, MA 02038 Phone: (508) 520-4941

or may be obtained from:

Goddard Consulting LLC, 291 Main St, Suite 8, Northborough, MA 01532 Phone: (508) 393-3784

An in-person public presentation will be made at 6:30 pm on January 18, 2023 at the Franklin Public Library located at 118 Main St, Franklin, MA 02038 to present the project to the public and to receive comments.

Additional virtual public presentations will be made at 6:30 pm on January 11, 2023 and January 16, 2023. 

Comments can be made orally at that time or sent to the MEPA office at Secretary of Energy & Environmental Affairs, 100 Cambridge St., Suite 900, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, via email at MEPA@mass.gov, or on MEPA's online comment portal at https://eeaonline.eea.state.ma.us/EEA/PublicComment/Landing/ (or scan QR code), or can be submitted as a letter after the presentation.

A translator can be provided with advance notice upon request in any language to the public presentation. 

Such requests should be made to Mark Arnold via email at mark@goddardconsultingllc.com, (508) 393- 3784 or via letter at 291 Main St. Suite 8, No1ihborough, MA 01532.

Remote participation info can be found in the agenda doc ->

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HZ-nlB7UC-vkEM3hvRNXwZrKDCZVoslN/view?usp=share_link

Spruce Pond Brook is proposed to be rerouted for the development

Madalene Village documents for ZBA Meeting - 2/16/17

The listing of waivers requested

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczaGdRRGpiS0NkWXFSRG1IV3ZYMnA0NG8yMlJj


Letter from the Developer

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczTWNCb2xaMTR3VnpJbjU5WmltOE81NGg5bmVn


ZBA Consultants assessment of project and issues to be addressed

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczTVdsLVFpbHg3N0xSM0FVT29aRUxEWUdNRjBv

the Spruce Pond Stream is being proposed to be relocated as part of the development

Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, Feb 16 for Madalene Village

DATE: Feb. 14, 2017

TO: Mr. Bruce Hunchard, Chairman
Franklin Zoning Board of Appeals

FROM: George Russell, AICP
Conservation Agent

RE: Comprehensive Permit Application, Madalene Village
21 Peck-180 Cottage Streets

I have read the minutes of the Board concerning the above project.

Neither my office nor the Conservation Commission members have been contacted by the applicant concerning this project. Further, until a formal application is presented to the Commission, no comments over and above what have been transmitted to the Board by my office can be made without prejudicing the Commission on an application upon which they must decide. The minutes of 11/17/16 state:

. . . ConComm doesn’t want anything to do with it until they file. Mark: I always take the position that, if someone requests a waiver from a local ConComm rule, we ought to get what the ConComm thinks. Chairman: Their agent responded that they didn’t want to look at it until they file. . . .

Although these minutes have been accepted, I need to go on record that my office has repeatedly indicated that the applicant should be discussing this project with my office. I in fact do “ . . . want to look . . .” just as would happen at a tech review meeting. What must be avoided is compromising the Commission from taking a position before the application is filed.

It is still my opinion that at least some preliminary discussions on the project concerning the wetlands issues are warranted and should have already taken place and that the waiver of the local wetlands by-law is not in the best interests of the Town.

Please let me know if you need any additional information.

Letter From Conservation Commission
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczajZ2YWZESXJGUjlFUUZteUZSUkMtSE92a25j

Flyer
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B0wjbnXDBhczdzktaHRvYlI3U1RFWENFM1B0bHU5ZnUwTTgw

Town Engineer letter
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczREF1UFJEN0s4Z191bUtXdFlkZ1lfWUxTdXpj/view?usp=sharing

Spruce Pond Brook is proposed to be rerouted for the development

SAVE SPRUCE POND BROOK

SAVE SPRUCE POND BROOK! 

STOP MADALENE VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT 

ATTEND THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS MEETING AND BE HEARD

OCTOBER 20, 2016 7:30 PM

There are three attachments for this post. 

1. a flyer calling for attendance at the ZBA meeting.
2. the plans for the development
3. the letter from the developer

one of several signs in the Peck St, Wachusett St, and Cottage St neighborhood of the proposed development

Madalene Village - proposal revised

The proposal for Madalene Village has been modified and is scheduled for the next Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on Thursday, July 14.

The updated diagram showing the revised proposal can be viewed here
(shared by members of the Facebook group  https://www.facebook.com/groups/savesprucepondbrook/)

The Zoning Board of Appeals meeting agenda for July 14
http://town.franklin.ma.us/Pages/FranklinMA_ZBAAgendas/Agendas%202016/07-14-16%20ZBA%20Meeting.pdf

sign from one of the neighbors

Not a clean cut

In addition to the herbicide spraying to reduce the weeds along the roadway, someone (DPW?) cut back the shrubbery along the railing on King St by Spruce Pond. It improves the view some what. The shrubbery was not cleanly cut.

shrubs cut back along Spruce Pond

view 2 - shrubs cut back along Spruce Pond

Herbicide - before and after

As noted during June, the herbicide spraying was going to happen. On my regular walks I managed to capture a before and after sequence on King St by Spruce Pond.

Before - weeds growing happily

After - weeds drying up

The notification on the herbicide spraying was posted here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2014/06/herbicide-spraying-to-begin.html

Spruce Pond - Franklin Flatbread - Spruce Pond Creamery

Saturday's walk provided some good photos

Spruce Pond - lily pad reflections

Franklin Flatbread and Spruce Pond Creamery

This is the time of year that the line for ice cream gets long in the evenings.

Check out their website to preview the organic food menu they serve.  http://www.franklinpizza.com/

Spruce Pond - two views

Walking Sunday, I found my way to the inside of Spruce Pond to take this photo looking towards King St

reflections on Spruce Pond

The view from King St was able to capture a more dramatic view of the clouds in the sky.

reflections on Spruce Pond

The Spruce Pond Creamery can be seen in the distance in the second view.

"Each pizza box is a mural"

Spruce Pond Creamery owner Marc Bluestein recently commissioned a Franklin High art class to create an exhibit that would fit at his flatbread pizza restaurant and ice cream parlor. 

Robin Katz’s painting and printmaking class was up to the challenge: With paint and pizza boxes as palettes, the students created murals inspired by the restaurant’s menu. 

"Part of the fun was they weren’t just doing something for our classroom, but the community as well," said Katz. "You should always experience learning outside of the classroom; it makes it more meaningful and relevant."

See more at: http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20140215/NEWS/140217108/1994/NEWS#sthash.Wo4T6JJg.dpuf

Spruce Pond Creamery as seen from across the pond

Spruce Pond Creamery - sign question answered

I slipped in a small trivia question to check on the observational skills of the Franklin Matters readers. The answer to the Spruce Pond sign question is shown below and on the original posting earlier this week.


Updated 8/13/10:

The answer to the question is that the sign is the "old" one and not the one showing today:

This picture was taken on an overcast day in June. The picture above shows the sign in April before Spruce Pond updated it to show that they can now server beer and wine.


Franklin, MA

ice cream as 'a treat that's refreshing and new'

At Spruce Pond Creamery's takeout window, Kenneth Josephson ordered two scoops of maple walnut ice cream, the only flavor he's tried for many years.

"I liked maple walnut when I was young. I still like it," said the retired engineer. "If you like something, why change it?"

That might surprise Marc Bluestein, who opened the combination ice cream parlor and organic pizzeria at 370 King St. in Franklin 11 years ago with his brother Gary.

They've prospered by adapting to new nutritional trends by serving a diverse and healthy menu featuring organic pizza and organic beer and all natural ice cream, which they make on site.

While many ice cream parlors are small specially shops located in a plaza or squeezed between bigger buildings, Spruce Pond Creamery is spacious and has a country ambience with a rear balcony overlooking its namesake pond.

"The only thing I don't have is a pasture with cows," said Bluestein, who has owned two other restaurants in Rhode Island and also worked many years in finance and administration.

The creamery serves about 50 flavors of all-natural homemade ice cream as well as "no fat, no sugar" soft serve yogurt and several varieties of sorbet.

Read more about other ice cream places in the area in the Milford Daily News here:
http://www.milforddailynews.com/features/x1179101574/Sweet-Treat-Ice-cream-shops-help-beat-the-summer-heat

Trivia question: Something is wrong with this sign, can you tell what it is?

Updated 8/13/10:

The answer to the question is that the sign is the "old" one and not the one showing today:

This picture was taken on an overcast day in June. The picture above shows the sign in April before Spruce Pond updated it to show that they can now server beer and wine.


Franklin, MA

Spruce Pond Creamery

It is a family tradition to walk to the local ice cream parlor at the end of the school year for a supper of ice cream.

The local choice for us is the Spruce Pond Creamery on King St in Franklin, MA. The sign was recently re-freshed to include the fact that they now offer beer and wine in the restaurant. Their flatbread sandwiches and pizza are very good. Adding the beer and wine option for the accompaniment is good.

Their ice cream take out windows are where we headed on Tuesday.

Ice cream for supper? Why not?

A banana split provides multiple food groups (dairy, nuts, and fruit) with more than enough calories for a meal.

It was good! We only do this at the end of the school year so this is a real treat and not a regular staple of our diet.

What special food treat do you enjoy?


Franklin, MA

Franklin Flatbread/Spruce Pond Creamery

As the girls were growing up, one of our family traditions was to walk to Spruce Pond Creamery on the last day of school to help celebrate. I've been known to go with a banana split for dinner. It does have multiple food groups, right (fruit, dairy, nuts, chocolate!) :-)

Franklin Flatbread/Spruce Pond Creamery, originally uploaded by shersteve.

Good food with a quaint pond view setting. Now with a wine and malt license, there is an added incentive to visit for pizza or a panini.

Of course, sitting on the porch with your ice cream is not something you'd do often in winter.

Franklin Flatbread/Spruce Pond Creamery in a green and warmer view:

Stay warm!