Chapter 40B Public Hearing - March 27, 2024
Please mark your calendar for Wednesday, March 27, 2024, starting at 7:00 PM, as the Millbury Board of Appeals will be holding another public hearing in a sequence regarding the proposed Rice Pond Village project under Chapter 40B, planned to be located at 17 Rice Road in Millbury, Massachusetts. The venue for this event will be at the Millbury Senior Center, situated at 1 River Street in Millbury, Massachusetts. Attending in person is encouraged for maximum participation. However, if you're unable to attend physically, you can join via Zoom using Meeting ID 881 9348 7523 or watch it on either Verizon FIOS channel 26 or (Charter) Spectrum channel 191, or afterwards on Millbury Video-On-Demand.
It's crucial to meet in person to underscore the significance of this issue to the community, given that the proposed Chapter 40B Rice Pond Village project's effects will extend far beyond Rice Road and our immediate neighborhood.
The agenda published does not include sub-items, and it seems that the developers have not submitted any new or updated documentation to the town. Documentation from the developers, Steven Venincasa and James Venincasa, is still pending.
A representative from the Providence & Worcester Railroad is expected to attend to address any inquiries, apprehensions, or offer elucidation regarding their estimate and plan for the Rice Road railroad crossing. This crossing would be necessary if the board decides to move forward with approving the proposed Chapter 40B Rice Pond Village project, given the substantial rise in traffic anticipated from the project.
Stantec, the town's peer reviewer, might be present at the public hearing to deliver an update on concerns voiced by neighborhood and community representatives regarding discrepancies between the accidents recorded in the developer's traffic impact study and the crash data from massDOT, which is the same source utilized by the developer’s traffic consultant. Notably, this includes the stark contrast of two versus twelve incidents within a 0.25-mile radius of Rice Road and Thomas Hill Road. The omitted accidents include multiple rear-end collisions at the intersection of Providence Street and Rice Road, along with a fatal incident on South Main Street near Rice Road.
As time grows short and without a mutual extension of the public hearing timetable, the process is slated to wrap up in May. Therefore, it's imperative to prioritize these public hearings to exert significant influence on the outcome of the misguided proposed Chapter 40B Rice Pond Village project.
Information and specifics regarding this proposed project can be found on the Resources page.