March 15, 2001Selectmen file PDD for Wall Street locationBy John White BURLINGTON – The Board of Selectmen Monday night presented more details on the proposed three-way land exchange, including further information on the Planned Development District (PDD) being proposed for land located between Wall Street and Mountain Road. The PDD was formally filed with the Planning Board Monday and there will be a presentation before that board tonight. While acknowledging that not all aspects of the proposal have been finalized, the selectmen are pushing the issue into the public spotlight in preparation for a special Town Meeting, which is now being targeted for late April or early May. The selectmen admit the proposal is complex, with Town Administrator Robert Mercier stating there could be “upwards of a dozen articles to get this done.” One of those articles would be the PDD request for the Wall Street site now owned by the Gutierrez Co. The town, Gutierrez, and local developer Gary Ruping are the principals involved in the proposed transaction. In addition to the Wall Street location, the other primary sites involved in the plan are Grandview Farms on Center Street, owned by Ruping, and a town-owned parcel on the western end of Wheeler Road. In opening the presentation on the Wall Street PDD, Mercier commented, “This is the first shot, if you will. We are still working on this.” The housing component at that location would involve 144 market-rate units and 36 senior affordable units. All the housing would be constructed by Ruping, with the market-rate units on land he owns, and the other apartments on property conveyed to the town. The entire housing complex would be in one area of the overall site, which would be broken into four sections. On one of those sections, the Gutierrez Co. would construct a 170,000 square-foot office building, for which it has already gained approval, along with a parking structure. In one of the other areas, Winn Street Towing would be relocated from its current site to the end of the Wall Street cul-de-sac. The fourth section, comprising seven acres, would be used for conservation and serve as a habitat for the Eastern box turtle. Gutierrez would also convey two lots near Mountain Road to the town to add to the buffer between residents and the development. Grandview FarmsMercier said the town is also likely to pursue a PDD at the Grandview Farms site also. A rezoning of some sort would be needed for the property and Mercier explained, “We prefer to do it through the PDD.” In a change from earlier plans, there would be 48 senior affordable units on this site, rather than the original 36. The town administrator explained that the Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council, a not-for-profit group, is interested in constructing and managing the housing on the site, but needs to build at least 48 units for the project to be feasible. These units, along with the affordable units on Wall Street, would be designated for Burlington residents in perpetuity. The Southern Middlesex Opportunity Council is a federally funded group based in Framingham. The barn on the property, which is deteriorating, would be partially preserved at the site of the Francis Wyman House. Selectman Albert Fay, a member of the board’s subcommittee on the land exchange, said the plan which was presented “is what we’re almost ready to run with. Selectwoman Juliet Perdichizzi called the proposal “innovative and creative.” Selectman Gary Gianino, also on the board’s subcommittee, said public meetings on the proposal will resume shortly. Perdichizzi urged residents to attend, stating the plan is “such a tremendous project, you really do owe it to your public officers to come out.” Approval of the land exchange, as proposed, would negate the comprehensive permit approved for Ruping to construct 75 units on the Grandview Farms site. That approval is under appeal by Ruping, who wants 100 units, and the town, which wants the application denied. To read more press releases or news articles, please go to our Press Room.
|