About

This web platform, RicePondVillage.com, emerged early in 2021 as a direct neighborhood response to a profit-oriented developer's proposal to construct 52 duplex-style condominium units in our well-established modest single-family neighborhood of 43 households, disregarding known public safety issues. Despite over 10 months of public hearings before the Millbury Planning Board, the proposal was ultimately rejected on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2022, through the efforts of our neighborhood. During the public hearings, the developers resorted to threats, warning that if we did not concede public safety, they would return with a Chapter 40B project featuring less than 225 apartments. Chapter 40B is not meant to weaponize development against neighborhoods and communities, but unfortunately, that is how some developer leverage the 1969 law.

Following the denial of the duplex-style condominiums, Millbury voters opted to rezone the northern side of Rice Road to Suburban 2, bringing it in line with the zoning of the southern side on May 3, 2022. Under Suburban 2 zoning regulations, multi-family dwellings are prohibited on minor roads, such as Rice Road, which, in fact, had pavement widths of only 16 feet in certain areas at the time.

The subsequent step was to enact a temporary moratorium on multi-family developments with more than three units for 18 months on May 2, 2023. This pause aimed to allow for the drafting and implementation of zoning bylaws concerning multi-family development within the town. Over 80% of the voters at the town meeting supported this moratorium. Unfortunately, the Bylaw Review of the Attorney General's Office rejected it, citing that it clashed more with their housing agenda than with conflicts in state law, as interpreted by us non-attorneys.

A few of us have actively participated in the public hearings for the recodification of our town's zoning bylaws and associated regulations. This involvement includes advocating for zoning bylaws that cater to the specific needs of our community.

On December 29, 2023, the developers made a comeback with a Chapter 40B proposal featuring 192 apartments, spread across three four-story buildings on the same site, this time before our Board of Appeals. We persist in our efforts to address the concerns, advocating for the project’s to be scaled down or its denial based on well-documented public safety issues associated with an insufficient minor road.

Our active involvement in addressing these challenges has prompted us to adopt a more encompassing approach, aligning ourselves with statewide endeavors like the MBTA Communities Act and the upcoming Affordable Homes Act. Through these efforts, we aim to ensure that responsible and sustainable development is custom-tailored to meet the unique needs of each community.

Stay tuned as we accomplish even more for our community and others.

This site contains user submitted content, comments and opinions and is for informational purposes only. RicePondVillage.com disclaims any and all liability for the acts, omissions and conduct of any third parties in connection with or related to your use of the site.