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By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Special Correspondent
For the past few years, Medfield residents have been fighting to ensure that the Medfield Meadows development never makes its way off paper. The initial plans for the development included over 200 units and a modern architectural style and size that many residents believed did not fit with the rest of the town. Mass Housing rejected the development in January. Since then, residents have tried to come up with ways to ensure that there are no repeats of the Medfield Meadows fiasco. The recently established housing trust will play a part in guaranteeing that unwanted 40B projects are kept out of the town.
On June 20, the Department of Housing and Community Development notified Medfield that they had received their much-wanted safe harbor status for one year. By obtaining safe harbor status, the town can reject any comprehensive permit application for a 40B development, despite currently having less than 10 percent affordable housing. Medfield will have to add 21 units each year to maintain safe harbor status and increase the number of affordable housing units from 7.2 to 10 percent. However, this number will probably increase with the results of the 2020 census. “We need to be working on housing units for next year," says Selectman Pete Peterson. "That’s where the housing trust comes in.”
On June 5, residents of the town voted whether or not to establish a housing trust. The results were overwhelmingly in favor of it, with 904 votes for and 180 against. Though other Massachusetts communities have used the Preservation Act to keep unwanted developments at bay, the housing trust gives the town an almost instant access to money for 40B projects. The town will purchase a 1 million dollar bond that will be paid off over the next twenty or so years. During that time, residents will pay an additional $30 in taxes until the bond comes due.
The use of the housing trust will allow for the town to have more options when it comes to 40B projects and avoid unwanted developments coming to the town. In order to ensure its success, the housing trust will be managed by six members, recently appointed by the Board of Selectmen. These members include: Mike Marcucci, Adam Ameden, Timothy Bonfatti, Jack Wolfe, Todd Trehubenko, and Ann Thompson.
The timing of the establishment of the housing trust and Medfield's safe harbor certification seems perfect. The development consultants, SEB LLC, recently released revised plans of the initial Medfield Meadows project, downsizing the number of units from 200 to 95. These new plans were created while working with Massachusetts Housing. The plan separates the development into two sections: Medfield Green and Grovedale Homes. The Grovedale Homes include 25 townhouse units. Medfield Green includes 70 units split into two sections: 50 units in an apartment building and 20 more town house units.
On July 18, the development consultants met with residents of the area near the developments’ projected sites. Just like previous meetings, the developers received criticism from frustrated townspeople. Viewers pointed out problems with the plans as well as the developers themselves: the apartment building planned for Medfield Green looks too modern, the number of units are still too large, and there are worries over the added impacts of traffic, lights, and fire safety. These concerns were met with promises to conduct traffic studies, shadow studies, and additional meetings with the residents.
The reactions of townspeople at the recent meeting, as well as Medfield's safe harbor certification and the new housing trust make it seem unlikely that the Medfield Meadows development will be approved.
Instead, the townspeople are ready to listen to new developers with plans more fit for the town.
