5-03-2022 1:06am

Westwood Voters Approve Multi-Family Housing District, Agree with FinCom Recommendations in 2022 Town Meeting

Darlene Cancell Editor

Image by geralt from Pixabay.

Updated 5/3/2022 at 10:15 a.m. Typos have been corrected.

One only needs to read the yea or nay recommendations of Westwood’s Finance & Warrant Commission (FinCom) in its 2022 Annual Report Warrant and Recommendation for Annual Town Meeting to understand how residents voted at Town Meeting held in the Westwood High School auditorium on Monday evening, May 2, 2022. Westwood residents in the case of each Warrant Article accepted the positions of their of elected officials, Town staff, and the majority on FinCom, with voting results that mirror the advice of FinCom.

The recommendations of the majority of members on FinCom had, in turn, largely adopted the positions of Town staff that prepared the Town budget and the positions of Select Board and Planning Board whose members drafted many of the other articles.

A Quorum Gathered

It didn’t take long for a quorum to gather, with Moderator James O’Sullivan making the announcement that a quorum had been achieved at just six minutes past the scheduled start of six o’clock.

Recognitions began with noting the thirty-one years of service of Westwood resident, Assistant Town Administrator and Finance Director Pam Dukeman. Ms. Dukeman will be retiring from her positions this year.

Other appointees leaving their positions included John Cronin and Chuck Bean from the Permanent Building Committee, and Thomas McCusker from Planning Board.

Elected officials retiring are Dave Atkins from Planning Board, Jessica Cole from Library Trustees, Carol Lewis from School Committee, Albert Wizialko as Tax Collector and John Hickey from Select Board.

Mr. Hickey’s final official act as a member of Select Board was to award the town’s highest honor, the John Cronin Public Service Award, to Edward “Ned” Richardson. Soon after, Mr. Hickey's replacement, Ms. Marianne LeBlanc Cummings, was sworn-in along with other newly elected town officials.

Moderator Sullivan took a moment of silence to remember town volunteers and officials who had passed: Stella Easland, George Lester, Eugene Cummings, Harry Aaron, Bruce Montgomery and James Sullivan.

Voting Results on Twenty-three Warrant Articles

As for voting, here is how it all turned out:

Article 1: Unanimous vote in favor of transferring from available funds the amount of $190,000 to supplement fiscal year 2022 appropriations for Snow and Ice, the Town Clerk Salary, and Fire Emergency Management Project.

Article 2: Unanimous vote in favor of transferring from available funds the amount of $527,000 to supplement fiscal year 2022 appropriations for Snow and Ice, DPW Snow and Ice Salaries, Fire Department Salary and Ambulance Services/Equipment.

Article 3: Majority vote in favor of approving the Town Budget for FY 2023 which includes a Total Revenue Budget of $112.9 million, a 4.2 percent increase over FY 2022. Of that amount, $90,335,810 is expected to come from property taxes.

Article 4: Unanimous vote in favor of appropriating or transferring from Free Cash the amount of $1,356,250 for purchase or lease of capital equipment set forth in article, which includes Police Vehicles, Building Maintenance and Improvements and Facility Maintenance.

Article 5: Unanimous vote in favor of appropriating or transferring from Free Cash the amount of $1,017,000 for School Capital Improvements.

Article 6: Unanimous vote in favor of raising, appropriating or transferring from Sewer Retained Earnings the amount of $700,000 for Sewer Capital Improvements.

Article 7: Unanimous vote in favor of raising and appropriating or transferring from Meal/Hotel Tax and Ambulance Receipts the amount of $682,000 for Additional Capital Improvements that include a Schools Network Project and a System Upgrade.

Article 8: Unanimous vote in favor of borrowing the amount of $325,000 for a Conant Road Culvert Design and Cemetery Expansion Design.

Article 9: Unanimious vote in favor of raising and appropriating and/or transferring from Free Cash the amount of $125,000 for the Stabilization Fund.

Article 10: Majority vote in favor of raising, appropriating, and/or transferring from Taxation the amount of $1,515,000 to the OPEB Liability Trust Fund.

Article 11: Majority vote in favor of raising and appropriating and/or transferring from Free Cash the amount of $300,000 to the Aid to the Elderly for Senior Tax Relief.

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Article 12: Majority vote in favor of borrowing the amount of $900,000 to fund a Canton Street Sidewalk Design.

This was the first article of the night to generate a discussion beyond a few short comments or questions. Those in favor of the sidewalk design expenditure noted that the sidewalk would promote greater pedestrian safety, create traffic calming, and would knit the surrounding neighborhood together. They also noted the likelihood of state funding for its construction after the design is obtained.

Those against the article stated concern that the sidewalk’s construction would remove trees and an old stone wall. Department of Public Works Director Todd Korchin, however, noted that any stone walls that are taken down in construction would be rebuilt.

Article 13: The majority voted to accept FinCom’s recommendation to indefinitely postpone this article. It apparently reflects outdated language which its proponent, Professor Peter Ittig, noted should be replaced by Article 14.

Article 14: The majority voted to accept FinCom’s recommendation to indefinitely postpone this article. Its proponent, Professor Ittig, explained that this proposed senior property tax exemption would provide more reliable and greater assistance to more of Westwood’s seniors than the existing Aid to the Elderly program. Opponents noted that the tax exemption would be a yearly, ongoing subsidy of an unpredictable amount. Those who seemed to be empathetic to the cause seemed placated by learning that eligible seniors already have financial help with the option of deferring their property taxes until such time that their property is sold.

Article 15: The article was approved with two-thirds vote in favor of authorizing Select Board to dispose of certain parcels of land for furthering the rehabilitation and reuse for the historic Obed Baker House at 909 High Street.

Article 16: Unanimous vote in favor of authorizing Select Board to grant an easement of up to 15 feet wide across a strip of town owned land adjacent to the property at 129 Dover Road.

Article 17: The article was approved with two-thirds vote in favor of authorizing Select Board to purchase land and structures at 90 Deerfield Avenue, the location of American Legion Post 320. Select Board Chair Michael Walsh explained that the property would be used for the Department of Recreation, public meeting space and a location for early voting.

Article 18: The article was approved with two-thirds vote in favor of amending the Zoning Bylaw related to permitting and approval for solar energy facilities as accessory and principal uses. There was some discussion among residents who were concerned about the suitability of solar in a Massachusetts climate compared to a sunny climate and the unattractiveness of solar arrays on residential properties. However, outgoing Planning Board member Dave Atkins and resident Claire Galkowski explained that this article seeks to put Westwood’s bylaws in compliance with state law which does not allow solar arrays or facilities to be denied on the basis of aesthetics. Supporters also noted the present state of a climate crisis and that any measure to reduce reliance on fossil fuels is necessary.

Article 19: The article was approved with two-thirds vote in favor of adopting zoning amendments to facilitate the redevelopment and reuse of the Obed Baker House and redevelopment of the adjacent commercial plaza. Their zoning designation will change and they will be included in the Flexible Multiple Use Overlay District 7 (FMUOD7/High Street Business District).

Article 20: The article was approved with two-thirds vote in favor of allowing alterations to nonconforming properties by special permit rather than variance, as determined to be appropriate by the Building Commissioner.

Article 21: The article was approved with two-thirds vote in favor of allowing amendments to the zoning designation of 394 and 396 Providence Highway to be zoned as Highway Business District.

Article 22: The article was approved by majority vote, 117 in favor to 59 against. The approved article will mean a new section 9.9 is added to the Zoning Bylaw in order to include a Mixed-Use & Multi-Family Residential Overlay District (MUMFROD).

In the longest discussion of the night, and the only time that Moderator O'Sullivan decided to use electronic voting, opponents said they needed more time to consider the multi-family housing issue. Comments included that it was premature to consider establishing a multi-family housing district as of right because the state's regulations for governing the town’s obligation are still in draft form.

Proponents of the article included FinCom member Michael Gay, who characterized opponents as taking a NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) position. Planning Board Chair Chris Pfaff made a plea in favor of Planning Board's proposal, noting that the article is an effort to comply with state law. Mr. Pfaff explained that the new zoning is a tool to protect the town from risk of losing local control over siting the new district.

Article 23: The vote was two-thirds in favor of approving the “Housekeeping” article to amend various sections of the Zoning Bylaw and/or Official Zoning Map to cure inconsistencies and to provide clarity.

The entire Town Meeting is available to view on Westwood Media Center's YouTube Channel by clicking here.