Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Selectmen Stifle Resident Participation

The following is a Letter to the Editor:

Unknown to the residents of Richardson Road, the Burlington Board of Selectmen met in regular session on March 11, 2019 to talk about a new four-story condo complex that would be crammed into their small neighborhood.

The Board reviewed documents submitted by the developer and voted to support the project known as Winn View Heights II. Their letter of support was sent to the Massachusetts state housing agency on May 4, 2019.

Note that the Board of Selectmen did not hold a public hearing, the residents of the neighborhood were not notified of or invited to the meeting – none of them knew about the proposal. In addition, no one on the Planning Board, the Planning Board staff, the Town Meeting Land Use Committee, nor the Town Meeting Moderator were told about the project.

The proposal then went to the state government, where the bureaucracy happily endorsed the project. The Burlington Selectmen, at their meeting of January 13, 2020, gave final approval. Again, there was no public hearing, no notice to residents. Again, no Town agencies were notified.

The project came before the Zoning Board of Appeals for final approval in January of 2021 and residents were finally told about the project. The on-going process before the ZBA is complicated because the developer has asked for 37 waivers including changing the site zoning from residential single family to multi-family and waiving rules about how steep a lot can be.

The residents have hired a lawyer to oppose the plan, but it is too late for other Town agencies to help them. Readers, please contact a Selectman and request that he call the ZBA and ask them to turn down this undemocratic condo project.

Monte Pearson, Chair

The Land Use Committee of Town Meeting