Building Moratorium Public Hearing Scheduled
Conor McCormack, the Town Planner, confirmed that the “Temporary Moratorium on Multi-Family Dwelling Units” will be held by the Millbury Planning Board on Monday, March 27, 2023, at the Millbury Town Hall at 127 Elm Street in Millbury, Massachusetts. Please mark your calendar. Everyone is encouraged to attend in person.
This town warrant article proposes a temporary building moratorium on multifamily dwelling unit (3 or more) that require a special permit or site plan review approval for 18-months. For clarification, this town warrant article does not limit any other types of development (i.e., open space, commercial, industrial, etc.), single-family residence, two-family residences, or duplexes on a parcel of land.
Town Warrant Article: To see if the Town will vote to amend the Zoning Bylaws to add a new section, Section 53. Temporary Moratorium on Multi-Family Dwelling Units under Article 4 Special Regulations and to read as follows:
Section 53. Temporary Moratorium on Multi-Family Dwelling Units
53.1. Purpose. In recent years, the preponderance, rate and volume of multi-family residential permitting and construction with the Town of Millbury have proceeded at levels that substantially vary from the community’s prior experience. These changes to local development patterns may potentially have an adverse or unanticipated effect on community character and existing neighborhoods. While the Town of Millbury Zoning Bylaws does not contain sections which specifically address the creation of multi-family dwellings, there is a community need to establish thoughtful criteria for consideration and approval of multi-family dwelling units within neighborhood contexts and within downtown Millbury. In order for the Town to undertake comprehensive planning to formulate and adopt such criteria under zoning, the Town intends to adopt a temporary moratorium on the consideration and approval of multi-family proposals under the Zoning Bylaws.
53.2. Definitions. For the purposes of this section, “Multi-Family Dwelling” shall be defined as “a building with 3 or more dwelling units or 2 or more buildings on the same lot with more than 1 residential dwelling unit in each building.”
53.3. Moratorium. Notwithstanding any other provision in the Zoning Bylaw to the contrary, no special permit or site plan review approval for multi-family housing, may be issued until after November 17, 2024. The purpose of this temporary moratorium is to allow sufficient time to engage in a planning process to address the effects of such structures and uses in the Town and to enact bylaws in a manner consistent with sound land use planning goals and objectives.
Multi-family residential projects do have a place in Millbury. However, these projects need to be sited on streets equipped to handle the additional traffic volume and equally important without exacerbating public safety. No one is opposed to sustainable growth, provided however, such development is safe, appropriate, responsible, and in full compliance with enacted Millbury Zoning Bylaws and other local and state regulations.
Growth of Millbury’s tax base must be balanced to be sustainable with a mixture of open space, commercial, industrial, and residential. In recent years, Millbury’s tax base appears to be out of balanced with more large scale residential developments with no offset of other types of developments that require fewer municipal services (i.e., education, police, fire, infrastructure and public works maintenance, etc.).
In conclusion, this town warrant article will likely elicit robust debate. Collectively every registered voter throughout our community should be permitted to participate and decide our path forward by amending or adding to our Millbury Zoning Bylaws and other local regulations to meet our vision for the town of Millbury.
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