Dennis Galvin, Westford resident
The most critical issue facing voters at this spring’s annual town meeting will be Article 20, an initiative sponsored by the Clean Energy and Sustainability Committee and the Select Board, to restrict home heating in all new residential construction in Westford to electric heat. The sponsors aspire to see Westford become a leader in the state’s declared goal to reach “Net 0” carbon emissions by 2050. This aspiration is achievable, however, only at the expense of your property rights and pocket-book.
The Article proposes to utilize the town’s building code to force home builders to install electric heat in all new housing construction. Zoning laws regulate one of our most fundamental civil liberties, the right to utilize and dispose of our personal property as we see fit. For many of us, our homes represent the most significant personal property asset we own. The purpose of zoning laws is to promote safety and facilitate reasonable resolution of conflicting land issues. They are not to be used to further partisan political agendas, or global policy initiatives. This is yet another egregious abuse of zoning authority by sponsors.
The most pressing economic issue facing both Massachusetts and Westford is housing affordability. Article 20 will make housing less affordable. Those seeking to construct homes under this proposed bylaw, with anything other than electric heat, will be forced to pay substantial sums, in order to install alternative heating systems. The bylaw proposal requires the pre-wiring of any new home so that it can eventually accommodate full electric service, a good indicator of the ultimate intent of this law. It also requires nonconformers to install solar panels. The total costs of these impositions range from 13K for smaller homes to 24K to larger homes. Given the margins facing home buyers today, this will put many completely out of the housing market. The bylaw is weighted to favor large, corporate owned, multi-family apartment buildings.
If this bylaw is adopted the town of Westford will cede, yet again, home rule authority to the state on zoning issues. Under the bylaw’s provisions, the state can impose regulations directly on the town, bypassing the local planning board, board of appeals and town meeting. To make matters worse, the ultimate beneficiary of this article is National Grid, who will be given a monopoly for heating all new housing construction in the state. A job they admittedly are not prepared to handle. Under this bylaw, even wood stoves would be outlawed in new construction.
This article is an oppressively bad and radical idea, that will do little to alleviate the problem of global emissions. It will, however, impose high costs and rigid restrictions on the use of one of our most precious property rights, and will limit housing opportunities. This bylaw proposal should be rejected.
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