Good Morning, Burlington, and Happy Monday!

Some 30 Burlington residents gathered on the Common despite the biting cold this Sunday to honor the 25,000 Palestinians killed in the conflict in Gaza and to call for an end to US aid to Israel. According to Burlington for Palestine, “Passersby showed an outpouring of support by honking, cheering, and at times leaving their cars to join the group on the sidewalk.”

Update: The Buzz has reached out to the group to learn more about their mission. An email reply stated “At this stage, we are not an ‘organization’ but a grassroots network of residents concerned with ending the genocide of Palestinians.”

Town Meeting to Discuss Car Dealership Expansion, Housing Development Opposition

The first Town Meeting of 2024 begins tonight, and all signs point to it ending tonight, as well.

Burlington holds three Town Meetings each year—January, May, and September—where 126 representatives, 18 from each precinct, gather in the Burlington High School auditorium to discuss budgetary, capital, and financial articles, as well as changes to the town’s bylaws. (That number is aspirational, as usually there are just shy of 100 Town Meeting Members in attendance.)

Many of the items up for a vote this time around are financial housekeeping articles or straightforward requests like replacing a rusted-out van used by the Recreation Department daily for nearly 20 years. Also up for discussion is the creation of an ad hoc group for selecting an electronic voting system for Town Meeting—something the body discussed back in September. The right system would make voting more efficient and transparent.

Three zoning-related articles appear on the agenda, as well; these articles, which require a 2/3 vote from the body, would update the town’s zoning bylaws:

• Article 4: Adding a “Fitness Center” designation of 5,000-20,000 square feet, to be differentiated from a “Fitness Studio,” which is up to 5,000 square feet in size.
• Article 5: Amending the Floodplain District section of the bylaws to prepare for FEMA’s new maps, which will be released soon.
• Article 7: Herb Chambers Kia Expansion. This article will probably garner the most discussion of any, as a number of neighbors vocally oppose this article. The article was originally put forth at September’s Town Meeting, but it was withdrawn following the testimony of a neighbor and the presentation of a petition with more than 50 signatures from abutters.
  The proponents say the expanded property would work better for their business and look better for the town, and that traffic wouldn’t increase, because the property’s function wouldn’t be changing. They also reminded the town that, by right (meaning without a special permit), they could build a retail property on the same site, which would increase traffic much more and there’s essentially nothing the town could do about it.
  Neighbors are concerned that the construction would result in alteration of the water table of the area as well as decreased privacy and increased safety risk due to cars. They also are concerned that the adjacent residential property also owned by Herb Chambers will be rezoned and used for commercial purposes, including access through the residential neighborhood behind the business. This article also looks, according to some, like “spot zoning,” which is using the zoning bylaws to benefit a small parcel of land in a way that is not supported by the zoning laws at large. The text of the article states that the zoning change only applies to car dealerships currently in business—in other words, only this particular dealership can benefit from the rezoning.

The only item on the Warrant that might spark more spirited conversation than the Herb Chambers expansion is the request by one Town Meeting Member, supported by a petition with more than 500 signatures, for Town Meeting to go on record against the affordable senior housing development known as Winn View Heights II. This housing development has been in front of the town more than once before, and the Select Board voted last summer to provide a letter of support for this project to the state. Proponents argue that this is the perfect opportunity to introduce more senior and affordable housing into Burlington; opponents are concerned about the steep and winding access to the development, which will require significant blasting to build and could present issues with emergency access, snow removal, and travel in inclement weather.

A resolution was placed on the Town Meeting Warrant for last September, and Town Moderator Bill Beyer declined to hear the request, as it was unrelated to any Warrant article before the body at the time. Despite an animated conversation with several members of the body who suggested Beyer was applying this rule inconsistently, the Moderator stood firm. This time around, there is an article on the Warrant specifically requesting that Town Meeting go on record against the project and request that the Zoning Board of Appeals (the sole permitting authority, since this is an affordable housing project initiated locally) reject the project.

For more information and real-time updates as Town Meeting proceeds, check out the Buzz’s Warrant Summary.

Local Government

January 22, 2024, Town Meeting

Nicci Kadilak • Jan 12, 2024

This summary will give you all the information you need to know (and links to the supporting documentation!) for this January's Town Meeting. The document will also be updated with the results of each vote as Town Meeting proceeds.

Read full story →

Today in Burlington

Municipal Meetings and Community Events

• 8:00 AM - Planning Board Sculpture Park Subcommittee Meeting - Most of this meeting will be spent discussing the 2024 fundraiser, with other topics rounding out the conversation. (Virtual)
• 12:00 PM - Disability Access Commission - A discussion of the commission bylaw review, the DAC elections and others are on the agenda. (Grand View, 1st floor Tavern)
• 6:00 PM - Recreation Commission will discuss the FY25 budget before going into executive session. (BHS - School Committee Room)
• 6:00 PM - Select Board Meeting (CANCELLED)
• 6:00-8:00 PM - Memorial Math Night (Memorial Elementary)
• 6:30-8:00 PM - Fox Hill Math Night (Fox Hill Elementary)
• 6:30 PM - Shawsheen Budget & Facilities/Capital Planning Subcommittees meet together to review the FY25 capital budget and preview the FY25 operating budget. They’ll also be discussing their Statement of Interest to the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which Burlington Public Schools know all about! (Shawsheen Tech HS, Miller Conference Room)
• 6:30 PM - Town Meeting - Precinct 5 members will meet just before Town Meeting begins to vote to fill Al Fay’s  Town Meeting Member seat so the body can be complete before the meeting begins in earnest. (BHS Auditorium)
• 7:00 PM - Town Meeting will discus all the items summarized on the Warrant Summary and hopefully turn in long before another night is needed. (BHS)

Sports and Activities

No athletics on the agenda for today, though teams will doubtless be practicing for contests later this week!

That’s all for now. Be on the lookout for social media updates as Town Meeting proceeds this evening, starting at 7:00.

Nicci

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