On 9/9/2021 the Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously (3-0) to DENY the developer’s Special Permit Request. On 9/30/2021 the developer filed a lawsuit against the ZBA asserting the denial exceeded the ZBA’s authority and should be annulled. It is possible that the Town will negotiate with the developer in advance of the trial, which is set for 3/31/2022.

Our new campaign is to ensure that the Town defends the unanimous decision to reject the Special Permit on multiple criteria, and that the Town counsel and ZBA honor the community’s rejection of the proposed subdivision in any negotiation with the developer.

Town Bylaws are constructed for a reason. We cannot let a developer dictate what can and cannot occur in our town.

Please support us in ensuring that the Town upholds this important decision.

Thank you,

Friends and Neighbors of Save 1442 Main

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BACKGROUND:

The proposed subdivision at 1442 Main St. in West Concord is a bad deal for Concord. This ill-suited plan requires clear-cutting eight acres of healthy trees, and flattening the natural topography of the property to accommodate roads, traffic circles and the large houses. This will dramatically impact the character of the neighborhood, cause irreparable damage to the natural environment, and be injurious to abutters, the neighborhood and our town.

• Clear-cutting 8 acres will expose the community to the MBTA railroad, which will create a significant new source of noise pollution to abutters and the community, including the Fowler Library
• This increased noise pollution will reduce property values of abutters, especially those directly across Main Street.
• The exposed railroad and tree loss will increase hazardous diesel emissions and the concentration of diesel particulate in the surrounding area. This includes less than 750 feet from Thoreau elementary school, the Concord Montessori School and a community garden, and less than 1100 feet from the Concord Children’s Center and the Fowler Library.
• Constant exposure to diesel emissions has been proven to increase risk of asthma and respiratory disease, particularly among children and older adults.
• Clear-cutting 8 acres will result in compromised erosion control and may increase runoff to abutting Center Village
• The request to remove >60,000 cubic yards is excessive. The constant movement of dump trucks to and from the site will cause significant safety concerns with pedestrians and cyclists, and result in substantial hazardous diesel emissions. Trucks will enter the site every 10 minutes, 6 hours/day, for 60 straight days. And this is just for trucking earth.
• Flattening the natural topography of the land is a clear encroachment on nature, violating the town’s Sustainability Principles
• Clear-cutting 8 acres of healthy trees and the resulting earth removal is injurious to the town as it removes important carbon sinks. It forces Concord to incur future climate-related mitigation costs.
• This reduction in carbon sequestration capacity clearly violates the spirit and intent of the town’s Climate Action and Resilience Goals

Based on the above, many of the conditions necessary to grant the developer a Special Permit (sections 7.5.3.3 and 11.6.2, 11.6.4, and 11.6.5, and 11.6.6 in the Concord Zoning Bylaw) for earth removal simply cannot be met.

For more information, please visit www.save1442main.com