Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 11/3/2021
LONGMEADOW – The town of Longmeadow hosted its Special Town Meeting on Nov. 2, passing 17 of the 19 articles on the warrant.
The most controversial item residents were asked to consider was a change to the zoning of two adjacent parcels on the corner of Williams Street and Red Fern Drive, adjacent to the Longmeadow Shops. Voters decided not to allow the land to become commercially zoned, and therefore, developable.
Attorney Jeffrey Roberts, representing Colvest Group Ltd., a real estate development firm, presented plans for the property, which is adjacent to the Longmeadow Shops. In the presentation, it was explained that the company planned to develop the land into between six and eight “specialty retail shops and, perhaps, a restaurant.”
Roberts said that people worried about traffic problems when the the land, on which the shuttered First Church of Christ, Scientist building now sits is currently valued at $26,000. Roberts said that the land could support three houses under its residential zoning, which would be worth roughly $45,000 in property tax revenue. He then said that the development would bring in about $250,000.
“This is new money for the town,” Roberts said. “We shouldn’t lose this opportunity.”
The tax revenue was later contradicted by Longmeadow Finance Director Jennifer Leydon, who stated that the property tax, if commercially developed, would be closer to $150,000.
To sweeten the deal, Roberts said, Colvest was willing to add $600,000 to $800,000 to address the traffic conditions of the Williams Street intersection with Red Fern Drive and Frank Smith Road. He said the intersection was the cause of traffic issues, rather than the businesses in the area.
Roberts said that the Longmeadow Planning Board chose not to recommend the zoning change at the Special Town Meeting because tenants had not been chosen for the development and the board wanted to know who would be renting the storefronts. The board also wished to see more detailed plans for the commercial development, though Roberts said that comes at a later stage of development.
Planning Board Clerk Walter Gunn said that the board had voted 3-1 against recommending the project because Colvest’s plans “may not reflect the lot’s true potential and the developer’s true intentions. Instead, he said, the board recommended a mixed-use development.
Residents who spoke in favor of the commercial rezoning cited the tax benefits, though Select Board member Mark Gold noted that the impact to taxpayers would amount to a decrease of roughly 5 cents per $1,000 in property taxes, or $17 per year. “It will not delay” reaching the Proposition 2 ½ tax ceiling, Gold said. Resident Peter Landon said that while it may not fix the tax ceiling, “it is a major step forward.” Landon also lauded the improvements Colvest made to the area around the Mobil station on Longmeadow Street.
Don Holland, Planning Board chair, said that people are buying more online and there are already empty storefronts at the Longmeadow Shops.
A resident living next door to the property maintained, “It’s not an abandoned church, it’s a neighborhood,” and said she was concerned about child safety. Another resident responded, “’What about the children?’ That intersection is a nightmare.” Another agreed, saying, “You had me at the intersection.”
When the votes were counted, 181 people were for the zoning change and 105 were against. The article didn’t meet the two-thirds majority it would have needed to pass.
The other article to be voted down was a proposed change to the sewer rate, which would have used $80,000 from the Sewer Retained Earnings account to subsidize the Sewer Enterprise Fund’s operating budget. Instead of the fiscal year 2022 (FY22) sewer rate of $2.82 per 100 cubic feet, it would have dropped the rate to $2.70 per 100 cubic-feet. The rate would still have represented an increase over the FY21 rate of $2.66 per 100 cubic feet. The Finance Committee recommended against the measure and stated at the meeting that the retained earnings should be preserved for capital outlays and future infrastructure.
The only other article to receive arguments for and against it was the adoption of article 13, which Select Board member Thomas Lachiusa called “guiding principles” regarding how Longmeadow addresses climate change. The article asked the town to adopt a directive considering climate change in all appropriate decisions and planning processes and taking action to prepare for the impacts of a changing climate, as well as reduce greenhouse gas emissions and develop and implement a comprehensive climate action plan.
A resident attempted to identify costs associated with the article, but the motion was ruled out of order because it was “out of the scope” or the original article. Another resident said the language was too vague, while a third noted, “We have to start somewhere.”
All other articles passed.