Neighbors working together to preserve our neighborhoods and beyond.

Rice Pond Village Project Steve Stearns Rice Pond Village Project Steve Stearns

Neighborhood Rebuttal To Developers Responses

Our neighborhood has shifted our position three times, starting from denial to reaching a compromise of 96 apartments (50%), and finally settling on our firm limit of 160 apartments (83%) with 1.7 full-size parking spaces per apartment and each of the other 18 minimum conditions being met. Despite our efforts to find common ground, Steven Venincasa and James Venincasa have consistently refused to engage in balanced discussions with our neighborhood and town. Our neighborhood and the community are awaiting Steven Venincasa and James Venincasa’s response to our final proposal.

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Rice Pond Village Project Steve Stearns Rice Pond Village Project Steve Stearns

Developers Reject Most Of The Neighborhood Conditions

Our neighborhood had hoped for cooperation from the developers, expecting them to engage positively and act as responsible developers by agreeing to many of our reasonable requests. However, that optimism was not realized. This further solidifies the perception that Steven Venincasa and James Venincasa disregard the community's well-being, which we fear will be adversely affected, worsening the previously identified public safety issues with their proposed Rice Pond Village project.

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Rice Pond Village Project Steve Stearns Rice Pond Village Project Steve Stearns

Chapter 40B Public Hearing - June 12, 2024

The upcoming public hearing for the proposed Chapter 40B Rice Pond Village project will be hosted by the Millbury Board of Appeals. It is scheduled for Wednesday, June 12, 2024, starting at 7:00 PM. 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.

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Rice Pond Village Project Steve Stearns Rice Pond Village Project Steve Stearns

Introduction to Chapter 40B Subsidized Housing Inventory

It is important to understand that the MBTA Communities Act (Chapter 40A §3A) and the Affordable Homes Act do not inherently provide “affordable” housing and will likely decrease a community’s SHI compliance. This means that growth could lead to more Chapter 40B projects in the future. The Chapter 40B statutory minimum of 10% is a constantly moving target as community growth occurs.

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