Chapter 40B Public Hearing - April 24, 2024
Please mark your calendar for Wednesday, April 24, 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 894 1550 4957 or watch it on either Verizon FIOS channel 26 or (Charter) Spectrum channel 191, or afterwards on Millbury Video-On-Demand.
For an entire month, there hasn't been a single public hearing, even though over half of the allocated time for these hearings has passed. This delay is directly attributed to Steven Venincasa, James Venincasa, and their project team. They have consistently been unprepared, neglecting to submit vital documents alongside their applications—a troubling trend not only on this project but on many others as well. Consequently, the Millbury Board of Appeals, town staff, peer reviewers, and the public have all been deprived of crucial time necessary for thorough review of the new and updated documents.
The developers have presented the following documents subsequent to the previous public hearing: a concept site plan for a subdivision within a Suburban 2 zoning district, an updated Development Impact Statement, two accident rate assessments for the intersections of Rice Road and Providence Street (Route 122A) and Rice Road and South Main Street, their traffic consultant’s rebuttal to Stantec (the town’s peer reviewer), modified site plans depicting the layout of the apartment buildings, garages, pool, clubhouse, and dumpsters, a floor plan for the clubhouse (though lacking elevation drawings), and a revised project cover letter. All of these documents and plans are accessible on the Resources page.
The recently revised site design for the Rice Pond Village project, dated April 15, 2024, remains insufficient in addressing the density apprehensions and public safety concerns voiced by the Millbury Board of Appeals, local residents, and the wider community.
Despite the progress evident in the revised site plan in tackling specific concerns highlighted by residents and the Millbury Board of Appeals, it remains insufficient in effectively addressing the multitude of issues raised during months of public hearings, as articulated by both residents and the Board. Thus, the status quo persists for developers Steven Venincasa and James Venincasa. Although the revised site plans show improvements in site design, they fail to address fundamental concerns regarding the overall density of units, buildings exceeding the 30-foot height limit, reliance on a single entry/exit point, deficiencies in Rice Road, and all previously documented public safety hazards, both from the previously denied project and the current one. This situation should serve as a significant indicator for the Millbury Board of Appeals, much like it did with the previous project before the Millbury Planning Board. It appears that these developers have little regard for adhering to our local regulations and prefer to set their own standards. Hence, this should streamline the decision-making process for the Millbury Board of Appeals, ultimately leading to a denial of all waiver requests and thus the project itself. A board member clearly stated that if the concerns of the Board were not adequately addressed, the developers would likely be met with a denial by at least two board members and that one more would deny the project. It's a path the developers find themselves on due to their failure to conform to local and state rules, regulations, and the Chapter 40B design criteria. One would expect them to have learned from their previous denial by the Millbury Planning Board on the same site, but apparently not.
Residents' active involvement in these public hearings is indispensable, even if they don't plan to speak. Showing up in person is paramount as it signifies a tangible dedication to the community's interests. In-person attendance carries more significance because it enables direct interaction with decision-makers and promotes a deeper sense of community unity. While remote participation is convenient, it doesn't have the same impact due to its reduced visibility and potential for detachment from the proceedings. Thus, residents are urged to prioritize attending in person to ensure their voices are truly heard and to amplify the impact of their contributions.
With time running out, for these public hearings. It's crucial to prioritize these public hearings to significantly influence the outcome of the misguided proposed Chapter 40B Rice Pond Village project.
The agenda published lacks sub-items, yet there are numerous documents accessible from the developers, residents, and peer reviewers. All pertinent documentation, including project specifics, essential state regulations, design guidelines, and supplementary resources, can be found on the Resources page.