WESTFORD — The Select Board on Tuesday is slated to hear updates on environmental cleanup and survey work at the site of 12 North Main St., among other items.
12 North Main St.
In a memo addressed to the Select Board, the Land Use Management Department continues to maintain an active role in the stewardship of the property, including coordinating cleanup efforts and pursuing a permanent solution for the property.
To date, the Select Board contracted with Nobis Group to conduct a boundary survey and hazardous materials survey, Lombardo Associates for wastewater consulting work and RKG Associates for a market study.
The property has received approximately $1.66 million in state and federal money for cleanup and redevelopment of the property since 2015.
Several options the board could consider are to preserve the entire structure, demolish the entire structure, or preserve a portion of the property and demolish another portion.
The Land Use Management Department plans to present an update on work on the site and request direction from the Select Board on what it would prefer for the future of the property.
The presentation can be found here.
Other items
The board is slated to hear an update on work on an affordable housing development at 70 Boston Rd. In the board’s March 25 packet, correspondence between The Drew Farmhouse, Inc. and the Chelmsford Housing Authority detail allegations from CHOICE Executive Director David Hedison that the property is not in compliance with the Affordable Housing Restriction and “has failed to process the referrals provided to you in a timely and appropriate fashion.”
The letter further alleges that the nonprofit has “stated that it is your intention to ignore the referrals of our agency and not adhere to the standards and policies of EOHLC as it relates to the Monitoring of the Affordable Units” and recommended that a Certificate of Occupancy not be issued until a third party can confirm the project is in full compliance with the Affordable Housing Restriction.
The project includes five workforce affordable units to be rented out at 80% to 120% of the area median income. Workforce housing is defined as housing for “80-120% of the AMI to support economic development initiatives and broaden the range of potential homebuyers, including a wide variety of housing types for young adults, families, and for families that need three or more bedrooms,” in the town’s 2022 to 2026 Housing Production Plan.
The project’s regulatory agreement and informational packet both stipulated that the project was restricted to individuals earning under 100% of the area median income and marketed to individuals within the “demographic that can no longer afford to live in the town they grew up in or where they work.”
The board will also discuss the 2025 Annual Town Meeting, approve a proclamation for Mental Health Awareness Month and could sign the demolition and building permit for the J.V. Fletcher Library building project.
How to watch
Residents may participate by attending the meeting in person at the second floor conference room in Town Hall, 55 Main St. at 7 p.m. Residents may also participate remotely via Zoom.
Those who wish to tune in may watch the meeting on YouTube, Comcast channel 9, Verizon channel 34 or via Castus. The meeting may also be accessed via WestfordCAT’s app, which can be downloaded from the App Store, Google Play Store and Roku.
Tuesday’s agenda can be found here.
