Mary Byrne
Next month, a multi-family housing development that was subject to months of criticism from neighbors in 2021 is once again before the town, seeking to amend its comprehensive special permit, but not without renewed pushback from residents.
In October 2021, the Zoning Board of Appeals granted a comprehensive special permit to the applicant, 91 Beatrice Circle, LLC, for a Chapter 40B project to build 12 units, three of which would be affordable. The permit followed months of meetings and hearings, after which it was ultimately subject to 161 conditions aimed at reducing the size of the applicants’ original plans.
Neighbors of the project at 91 Beatrice Circle, located on the access road to Route 2, say additional housing there would not be safe.
“The idea of having two multi-housing units on that 1/2 acre to house families with children is just unconscionable,” said Kristin Boardman, who has lived on Beatrice Circle for 28 years. “It’s a disaster waiting to happen. The driveway is on a steep slope that goes down into the access road, and regardless of what the posted speed limit is on the access road … cars go down the road at 50 miles per hour.”
91 Beatrice Circle, LLC could not be reached as of press time. Beatrice Circle, LLC’s parent company, Comprehensive Landholdings, LLC, has completed projects in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Florida and has sought to complete other 40B projects, including one in Milton.
Boardman and her neighbors also worried about the impact construction would have on the trees and the stormwater runoff.
The documents related to the developers’ amendment request were not posted to the town website as of press time. The meeting, originally scheduled for Feb. 13, has been rescheduled for March 4.
“We’re hoping these revised documents … will be shown to us, shown to our attorney and … then we can say, ‘OK, well this does meet our conditions,’ or ‘this doesn’t, and we can say well this is OK, except this isn’t,’” said Boardman.
According to the Citizens’ Housing & Planning Association (CHAPA) — a statewide affordable housing policy organization — Chapter 40B allows developers to build affordable housing by allowing for a streamlined permit process and more flexible zoning rules as long as 25% of the housing is deemed affordable under state guidelines. The law can be used in Bay State communities where less than 10% of the overall housing stock is affordable according to state guidelines. Currently, about 6.2% of the town’s housing units are included in the state’s Subsidized Housing Inventory, deemed affordable under state guidelines, according to the Housing Production Plan.
“I can speak confidently that the people around me are not anti-affordable housing, aren’t anti-40B, aren’t wanting to say ‘Heck with the MBTA legislation,’” said Boardman. “But we’re just concerned that this is a dangerous spot for such a thing.”
Between the Housing Production Plan, which guides the development of housing and was approved at Town Meeting last year; the zoning amendment adopted in 2020 that allows up to 150 housing units in McClean Zone 3, divided across two subdistricts; and progress on the town’s compliance with the MBTA Communities Law, Belmont is making strides in increasing the town’s housing stock, according to Rachel Heller, CEO of CHAPA and a member of the Belmont Housing Trust.
“40B is the most effective housing tool we have in the state,” said Heller. “I’m really excited about the Housing Production Plan … it allows Belmont, as we make progress, to be able to say no to projects that don’t fit the goals that we have here in Belmont.”
Heller said the town needs to “keep moving forward.”
“The Housing Production Plan highlights a lot of really important things for our community to know about how much affordable housing is needed,” she said.
“Any place where people in town are currently living is a good place for other people to be living,” Heller said.
According to Belmont Inspector of Buildings Ara Yogurtian, 91 Beatrice Circle is the only 40B project in progress right now.
Heller added that she hopes to see the town focusing more on multi-family development in the areas where you can get around without always needing a car. Doing so would be good for affordability, economic development, and sustainability, she said.
“This is desirable for people, whether you need affordable housing or market-rate housing,” she said. “We should be doing more of our development around areas of commercial development, areas with transit. That’s the desired outcome. I think Belmont right now is in the process of putting those policies into place.”
Above all, the residents emphasized their desire for transparency in the process, claiming there have been occasions when abutters hadn’t been made aware of public meetings about the project.
“Transparency is the bottom line,” said neighbor Dan Devine.