Worcester Business Journal

8 Worcester Business Journal | June 12, 2023 | wbjournal.com projects Cobblestone Village Apart- ments on Howe Avenue and the 19 Canal Apartments, prompted Millbury resident Steven Stearns to propose an 18-month moratorium on multifamily development in the town, according to a March 16 op-ed by Stearns in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle. "is will provide time to review and amend certain zoning bylaws related to multifamily dwelling units throughout Millbury," Stearns said in the op-ed. Stearns said he and the petition signa- tories were not against all development. "We support safe, appropriate, and responsible development that doesn't compromise public safety, complies with local regulations, and contributes to a sustainable tax base. Unfortunately, the [Rice Road] proposal currently un- der consideration by the town and state doesn't meet those criteria," he wrote. At the May 3 annual Town Meeting, two-thirds of the 149 voters in atten- dance voted for the 18-month morato- rium, which would end in November 2024. e measure is with the Office of the State Attorney General's Municipal Law Unit to be reviewed for its legality, with a decision expected by middle of August. e Mass. Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities is order to avoid a 40B development. "We know there's an extreme need for diverse housing and affordable housing," Beth Casavant, vice chair of the Shrews- bury select board, said at the February meeting. "But, also thinking through the impact of 30 three-bedroom units [dictated by the 40B program] and minimizing that if possible." The Millbury moratorium In Millbury, Whitney Street Home Builders of Southborough, owned by developers Steven Venincasa and James Venincasa, proposed 46 condominium units in 23 duplexes at 17 Rice Road in 2021. e Town's planning board denied the proposal in February 2022. e developer returned in May 2022 with another, larger proposal under the state's Chapter 40B program, which can allow developers to bypass some local restrictions. e Town executed an agreement with the developer in October to go forward with the project as a Local Initiative Program project, sometimes called a friendly 40B, to give the Town greater discretion over the project. e development, large for a town like Millbury, along with other residen- tial developments including Venincasa R ice Road in Millbury is a tree-lined two-lane street between Provi- dence and South Main streets. Driving toward Graon on Provi- dence Street, one could easily miss the entrance to the road, just past the oil company ckSmithSuperior. To enter the road, a driver must slow down and turn right 135 degrees, im- mediately mounting a hill and crossing train tracks. Rice Road itself is made up of primarily modest ranch-style homes. It is here, at 17 Rice Road, where developers have proposed a 192-apart- ment complex, the development that led to a vote to suspend multifamily devel- opment in Millbury for 18 months. Multifamily residential developers have been proposing thousands of apartments throughout Central Mas- sachusetts, many market-rate, some income-restricted affordable, and a few luxury. ey have been aided by local tax breaks and state money in an effort to increase housing inventory to meet demand and to increase affordability. State measures like Part I, Title VII, Chapter 40B of the Massa- chusetts General Laws and the Multi-Family Zoning Require- ment for MBTA Communities encourage development in communities resistant to multifamily projects, in an effort to address a shortage of inventory in housing, especially affordable hous- ing, which has led to skyrocketing rents and housing prices around the state. Yet, some communities are resisting the push for more housing to protect their town's resources and what residents and officials see as their town's character. Building housing is a priority for the Gov. Maura Healey Administra- tion. Healy created a new secretariat, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, and chose former Worcester City Manager Edward Au- gustus to lead the office. "We need to bring that sense of ur- gency that the governor and lieutenant governor have talked about, and so my mantra will be 'More, faster,' because the need is immediate. e need is profound," Augustus said at his June 1 swearing-in ceremony, according to State House News Service. Resisting affordable complexes e push for more housing is not new. Chapter 40B is a state statute, enacted in 1969, which enables local zoning boards of appeals to approve affordable housing developments under flexible rules if at least 20-25% of the units have long-term affordability re- strictions and if less than 10% that com- munity's housing is considered afford- able, according to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. It reduces local barriers to development of affordable housing. Towns around Central Mass. like Graon, Shirley, and Shrewsbury are eligible for 40B projects, while Marlbor- ough and Worcester, with a higher per- centage of affordable housing, are not. In Shrewsbury, Westborough de- veloper Pulte Homes of New England proposed a 300-unit 40B condominium community off of Route 20 called Emer- ald Run. Mark Mastroianni, entitlement manager at Pulte Homes, said during a Select Board meeting in February the developer was pursuing a 40B develop- ment because the zoning of the site was not conducive to the development. e proposal was met with resistance by the Select Board, who discussed try- ing to reach a compromise with Pulte in As Gov. Healey and her new secretariat seek to increase housing construction to address an affordability crisis, Central Mass. communities are throwing up roadblocks to one of the quickest ways to add units: multifamily developments Slow down BY TIMOTHY DOYLE Gov. Maura Healey

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