Hearing the arguments of those who oppose the Belmont Center zoning overlay, it is clear that they have no plan for addressing some of the pressing issues Belmont faces, such as:
(1) Belmont Center has been losing ground for quite a while. The frequent ‘for rent’ signs are evidence that something is not working. Sadly, empty storefronts are like holes in a boat. The structure begins to sink as the holes multiply. We must increase foot traffic, and adding housing to the center will help do that.
(2) Our community needs more housing for seniors and young people. Many seniors fear they will not be able to stay in the town they love because their retirement income will not support doing so in a single-family home. On the other end of the age spectrum, many young people would like to be able to live in the town where they were raised, but can’t afford our current housing stock.
(3) Belmont needs to stop “kicking the can down the road.” When I first landed in Belmont in the mid 1970s, I watched aghast as the town failed for dozens of years to respond to the desire of older citizens for a senior center. Because of that delay, many supporters passed away before the Beech Street Center was built. When will we learn? I hope the answer is “Now.”
Belmont today exists in a world very different from when it was first incorporated. It continues to be affected by changes in the region, the nation and the world. In other words, we exist in a context, not in a snow globe.
There is no forever-the-same Belmont. But there can continue to be a terrific Belmont — if we are willing to make smart changes for the future.
Marcie Schorr Hirsch, Old Middlesex Road