IF YOU GO…
WHAT: Asphalt Plant Settlement; Public Meeting
WHEN: October 12, 7 p.m.
WHERE: Stony Brook School, 9 Farmer Way, Westford
Content submitted by Town Manager Jodi Ross. If you have breaking news, please email news@westfordcat.org.
After more than six years of litigation, the town of Westford and Newport Materials, LLC and Groton Road, LLC (Newport) reached a mediated settlement agreement that provides a benefit to the town estimated at approximately $8.5 million dollars. The mitigation package includes extensive neighborhood protection and operational limitations including: restrictions on the future use of the 540 Groton Road property, a strict limit of no more than 200 vehicles per day, reimbursement of the town’s legal fees ($550,000), a neighborhood mitigation fund ($200,000), a Sport Utility Vehicle for the Police Department, 20 miles of roadway paving, 10 miles of sidewalk construction, repaving of 30 Tennis/Basketball courts and provision of 300 tons of asphalt for 20 years to the Highway Department. In exchange, Newport of Nashua, New Hampshire, will be able to build an asphalt manufacturing plant on the property in accordance with a Special Permit with approximately 100 conditions of approval. Newport will pay for technical consultants to monitor traffic and other conditions of approval.
The Board of Selectmen and Planning Board have scheduled a public meeting to discuss the Settlement Agreement and answer questions from the public. The meeting is scheduled at Stony Brook School Auditorium, on Wednesday, October 12, 2016, starting at 7 p.m.
Following a December 2014 decision by Land Court Judge Alexander Sands that remanded the project back to the town, the Planning Board denied the Special Permit for a Major Commercial Permit to 540 Groton Road, LLC, and Newport Materials, LLC, which are owned by Richard DeFelice. DeFelice appealed the April 2015 denial to Land Court. The Settlement Agreement and related documents will be filed with Land Court on Oct. 5. After they are filed at the court, the settlement documents will be posted on the Planning Board’s web page.
For more information, contact Jodi Ross, Town Manager at jross@westfordma.gov or 978-692-5501 or Chris Kluchman, Director of Land Use Management at ckluchman@westfordma.gov or 978-692-5524.
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