Town Meeting Takes Two Votes Against Development

By the skin of our teeth, Burlington’s Town Meeting Members were able to keep January’s Town Meeting to a single night. But the path to the finish line just after 11:00 was all but certain until the very end.

Town Committees, Departments Give Police Station, Zoning Updates

The body heard updates about:

• the proposed new police station, which the Building Committee states is a “need, not a want” for our town and will cost in the ballpark of $40-45 million
• the plan for rezoning the Mall Road area to allow for more open space and development opportunity while reducing surface parking
• the MBTA Communities law and what Burlington must do this year to be in compliance
• an upcoming request to make up the difference between the pre-May-2022 quote for Pine Glen air conditioning and the current quote, which has nearly doubled since $500,000 in funding was approved
• the status of withdrawn articles 3 and 6, which involve massive overhauls to the parking bylaws and the use table & definitions in Burlinton’s bylaws: they’re with town counsel and will be presented at May Town Meeting

Many Warrant Articles Garnered a Quick Yes

Fitness facilities between 5,000 and 20,000 square feet will get their own designation, enabling Planet Fitness to relocate to Middlesex Turnpike Extension. Their current location on Ray Road, with 18,000 square feet of gym space, is a nonconforming use, which means they can continue operating there but can’t move anywhere else because current zoning doesn’t allow for fitness facilities of that size. Now, it will—in certain areas of town and with a special permit.

As expected, all financial articles went through without a problem—moving money around as required and establishing a special revenue account for opioid settlement payments, which can now be used to support recovery and education programs here in town.

The process of precinct representatives appointing a Town Meeting Member to fill a vacancy until the next town election was codified into our bylaws, as well.

Two Articles, 50% of Discussion Time

The two longest discussions of the evening centered around Article 15, asking Town Meeting to go on record against the Winn View Heights II development, and Article 7, a zoning change which would allow the Herb Chambers Kia dealership to expand into the adjacent properties also owned by the business.

Town Meeting Weighs in over Contentious “Friendly 40B” Proposed Development

Town Meeting Member and Select Board candidate, Sarah Cawley, presented a history of the Winn View Heights II project proposal, outlining the process from the first time the project came before Select Board in 2019 through the bylaw changes requiring a more transparent process and up to the Select Board’s two votes in 2023—a 2-1-1 vote to deny the letter of support and the re-vote requested by the proponent, which was 3-2 in favor. Town Meeting Members reiterated their concerns about the project, including the winding access road with a steep incline and emergency access concerns. After a shorter than anticipated conversation, the question was moved (forcing the body to take a vote) and the article passed overwhelmingly. The statement that will be issued by Town Meeting will not be binding, but the proponents hope the state will see the letter as representing the will of Burlington residents via their representatives in Town Meeting and that the state will reject the proposed project—or that, if the state doesn’t reject it, the Board of Appeals (the sole permitting authority for a project like this one) does.