Planning Board Hearing on Tuesday, February 27th

The Planning Board public hearing on the proposed Islington Center Redevelopment Project began on January 16th.  A second hearing was held on February 13th.  The Planning Board will meet again on Tuesday, February 27th, in the Downey School Cafeteria, beginning at 7:00 pm.

What is proposed?

The Islington Center Redevelopment Project could bring several changes to Islington Center.  It proposes the construction of a new CVS building on the northwest corner of Washington and School Streets, and the replacement of the former Islington Community Church Building with a new mixed-use building containing 18 two-bedroom condominiums and over 13,000 square feet of new commercial space.  This mixed use building would be designed to resemble the existing ICC building, as a nod to the iconic New England style church architecture that the current building exhibits.  The developer is hoping to fill the commercial space with one or more new restaurants and retail uses. 

The project calls for the complete renovation of the existing CVS Building.  Crown Cleaners will remain in a portion of the building, and a new commercial tenant will be sought for the renovated space.  The Mothers Morning Out (MMO) Nursery School, which is currently housed in the ICC Building, would gain a new home in the lower level of this building.  The new nursery school space would be built to suit and would include a new enclosed playground on the east side of the renovated building.

The Islington Center Redevelopment project also calls for the relocation of Wentworth Hall - home to the Islington Branch Library - from the east side of Washington Street to the west side of that street.   A fully accessible, code-compliant lower level community space would be added beneath the Library, and an addition would be added to the rear of the Hall to house the Youth & Family Services Offices. 

Who Will Pay for the Project?

While the Planning Board reviews and considers the physical plan details, the Board of Selectmen is working to negotiate a Land Disposition Agreement for the sale of municipal property to enable this multi-faceted redevelopment.  The developer, Petruzziello Properties LLC, has offered the sum of $1,725,000 plus certain parcels of land on the west side of Washington Street, in exchange for three town-owned parcels on the east side of Washington Street. 

The Town has engaged an architect to prepare concept plans and cost estimates for the Wentworth Hall relocation and addition.  Once those plans and estimates are available, and following the Planning Board's decision on several remaining issues affecting the overall project layout, the Selectmen will make a counter-offer to Petruzziello Properties.  That counter-offer will be sufficient to cover the cost of relocating and renovating Wentworth Hall, constructing the Y&FS addition, and fitting out the lower level community space.

The balance of the project, including the new MMO space, will be fully developed and paid for by Petruzziello Properties.  This custom-designed pre-school facility will be leased to MMO for successive one-year lease terms at the same below-market terms that MMO currently enjoys in its lease for space in the ICC Building.

What Role Does the Planning Board Play in the Project Design Process?

The Planning Board is charged with reviewing the Flexible Multiple Use Overlay District (FMUOD) Special Permit Application for this project.  Its members must consider a number of factors in this review. 

One of the more significant issues to be decided by the Planning Board involves questions about the most appropriate redesign of the Washington Street/East Street intersection. The Planning Board is looking at several options for changes to the intersection layout and signalization in order to improve traffic flow at peak hours.  Residents have complained for many years about the difficulty of turning left from southbound Washington Street onto East Street during the evening commute.  Traffic engineers studying the intersection have also expressed concerns about the high volume of traffic that now turns from East Street onto southbound Washington Street at this same time. The Islington Center Redevelopment Project offers a unique opportunity to improve existing conditions.  The Planning Board must decide which intersection redesign will provide the greatest benefits, and in doing so, will strive to balance desires for improved pedestrian and bicycle experience with opportunities for new on-street parking.

Another important decision for the Planning Board involves the fate of the historic Blue Hart Tavern.  The developer has expressed interest in helping to preserve this structure, but it has proven difficult to find an appropriate location and sufficient funds for the building's costly restoration.  The project architect has estimated that more than $1 million would be needed to return this deteriorating structure to productive use. While the Town continues to work with the developer on possible solutions, private entities have expressed interest in the building.   However, with limited land options available within Islington Center, a solution for relocating and renovating the building has proven difficult.  Planning Board members will consider whether the historic structure should be incorporated into the project design, moved to another location in Islington or elsewhere in Westwood, or allowed to be completely removed.  Planning Board members recognize the important role the Blue Hart Tavern played in the town's early history, but cannot ignore the daunting cost of restoration.  The Board will try to reach a solution which allows for potential future restoration of the building.

A third issue to be discussed by the Planning Board relates to the Town's requirement that new mixed-use projects create affordable housing units in an amount equal to 15% of the total project housing units.  In this case, since the project is designed to have 18 condominium units, it must create 3 affordable housing units.  The Planning Board may require that three of the 18 two-bedroom condominium units be permanently restricted and offered for sale to qualifying affordable buyers, or the Board may accept the developer's proposal to convert three existing one-bedroom rental units in nearby properties to permanently restricted affordable apartments.  The benefit of the developer's alternative proposal is that it would enable the Town to count a total of 12 new affordable housing units on the Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI), rather than the 3 units which would be counted if the Planning Board prefers for-sale affordable condominium units.  Having the ability to count 12 new units on the town's SHI would go a long way toward protecting the Town against exposure under the state's 40B Law.  When new census numbers are released in 2020, Westwood will need to account for all residential properties that have been constructed since 2010.  As long as the number of affordable units on the SHI remains above 10% of the Town's total housing units, Westwood will be able to stave off unfriendly 40B developments.  The 9 extra SHI units that could be counted under the developer's proposal are extremely valuable to the Town.

The Planning Board will hold additional hearing sessions as needed to reach a decision on the FMUOD Special Permit Application.  At the conclusion of the final public hearing session, Planning Board members will vote on whether or not to approve the application.

What Role Do Residents Play?

The Islington Center Redevelopment Project has the potential to create positive change in Islington Center.  The Planning Board will continue to pay careful attention to many project details.  Board members will hold additional hearing sessions to review all design aspects, including building layouts, materials and finishes; parking and circulation; sidewalks, bicycle facilities, and bus stops; outdoor seating areas and gathering places; landscaping, screening, and street trees.  Residents have an opportunity to attend the Planning Board's hearing sessions and participate in the project design process.

This project began with the issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP) in May 2016. The initial project presentation was made to the Islington Center Task Force in September 2016.  A significant amount of discussion has taken place over many months, at open public meetings of the task force, Board of Selectmen, and Planning Board.   Much of the current project design has evolved from discussions with residents in attendance at those meetings.   Six separate concept plans were produced for the task force meetings, and residents actively engaged in debate about various aspects of those plans. The developer heard how much neighborhood residents value the iconic appearance of the ICC Building, so he ordered a seventh concept plan to include a replica of that structure. 

Some residents expressed concern about a proposed drive-thru for the new CVS, so Town officials met with the developer and CVS representatives, and reached agreement to eliminate the drive-thru.  Some residents felt strongly that efforts should be made to accommodate MMO in the project, so the developer and the town worked with the MMO Board of Directors to craft an arrangement that would allow the organization to continue providing early childhood education in Islington center.  Still other residents felt that condominiums would be more palatable, so the developer revised the plans to include 18 two-bedroom condominium units instead of 28 one-bedroom apartments.

There are still a number of design-related issues to be resolved, and residents can still participate in design discussions.  They can do so by attending the next Planning Board hearing session on February 27th, or by sending their comments by email to Town Planner Abby McCabe (amccabe@townhall.westwood.ma.us).  
Abby will forward all comments to the Planning Board members for their consideration.

The Selectmen and the Planning Board will each continue to work on their respective pieces of the puzzle.  Both boards will meet with the Finance & Warrant Commission (FinCom) on March 5th.  They will let the FinCom members know if they have made sufficient progress to continue with the four project-specific warrant articles which have been reserved for the May 7th Town Meeting. If the project-related articles do make it to the Annual Town Meeting, voters will have an opportunity to consider whether or not they find the proposed project to be beneficial to the Town.  A 2/3 vote in favor of each article will be needed for the project to take place as designed.

To view plans of the proposed Islington Center Project, visit the Planning Board's Current Planning Board Applications Page

The 2018 Annual Town Meeting will take place on Monday, May 7, 2018.  Registration begins at 7:00pm.  

Town Meeting is the legislative body open to all registered voters in the community to attend and express their opinion.  Open Town Meeting is said to be the purest form of a democracy as all registered voters have the right to speak and vote on articles presented.  

The process leading up to Town Meeting is elaborate, but important.  Getting involved early is critical to influencing the wording of articles presented to Town Meeting for consideration. The Board of Selectmen has provided a description of the purpose of each of the proposed articles which can be found by clicking on the below link

Annual Town Meeting Article Information

There are several meetings at which articles being considered for this year's Town Meeting will be discussed.  Members of the community who are interested in participating in the discussions about each of the articles are encouraged to attend any or all of the following meetings:  

• Planning Board Hearing on Zoning Articles - Tuesday, February 27, 2018 at 7:00pm at the Downey School Cafeteria.  Agendas will be updated accordingly.  The Planning Board will hold additional hearings to review the language.  Be sure to check the website for the most up to date information on articles and meeting times and locations.
• Board of Selectmen Meeting – Monday, February 26, 2018 at 7:30pm in the EOC/Training Room at the Police Station.  The Board of Selectmen will continue to review articles including financial articles at this meeting.  Check the website for more details as the date gets closer.  
• Finance and Warrant Commission Public Hearing on Articles - Monday, March 5, 2018 (March 6th if necessary) at 7:30pm in the Community Room at the Library.  The Finance and Warrant Commission typically reviews all non-budget related articles at its first public hearing.  
• Finance and Warrant Commission Final Public Hearing on Articles - Monday, March 26, 2018 (March 27th if necessary) at 7:30pm in the Community Room at the Library.  This is the final public hearing at which time the Finance and Warrant Commission will vote on all the articles and provide its recommendation to Town Meeting.

Residents attending any or all of these meetings will have a chance to voice their questions, concerns or support for the articles.

For the most up to date information related to Town Meeting articles, visit the Town's website under "Town Meeting and Election Information."  This site is updated regularly.

Recently, the Westwood Schools took initial steps toward receiving partial funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA), a state-funded program, to help pay for construction, renovations, and repairs to its elementary schools. A new website, www.westwoodschoolbuilding.com, has the latest information. It will include information on school tours, forums and Q&A sessions, and surveys.

Building Tours on March 3rd and 4th 

On Saturday, March 3, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and Sunday, March 4, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., the Westwood Schools will host tours of the Deerfield, Hanlon and Sheehan elementary schools. As reported in a January 24 letter from Superintendent of Schools Emily Parks to all town residents, these three buildings are in need of modernization. The tours are among the first of many steps to engage the community in the building project. The District wants to visibly demonstrate the condition of the schools and the related impact it has on educational programs and practical matters of facility management.

“We want to give residents the opportunity to see for themselves the state of these buildings, and we want to make that as easy and convenient as possible,” said Parks.

An open house format will allow residents to drop in and tour one, two or all three of the school buildings involved. Tours will run every 20 minutes, led by educational and operations personnel. Each tour will address the general building background as well as equipment, systems, and accessibility concerns. Handouts will recap that information.

For those residents who cannot attend, the School District has invited Westwood Media Center, (formerly WestCAT) to film a tour of each building for later broadcast. Also, the tour handouts will be available on the project website (www.westwoodschoolbuilding.com). Updates about the tours will be posted on that website and promoted through the Westwood Schools social media channels.

Do you know a special resident or organization that deserves to be nominated for the Roy London Humanitarian Award?

Many of us marvel at the kindness of others in our community who unselfishly contribute their time and talents to others both within and outside Westwood.  Now is the time to recommend these people as nominees for the 8th Annual Roy London Humanitarian Award, as these people deserve to be recognized by their community.

Roy London was a Westwood resident who devoted himself to helping others,  both here in Westwood and outside the community.  In 2010, Westwood established this award in Roy’s honor.  This award is presented annually to residents and/or organizations in the Westwood community that, by their actions, embody the humanitarian spirit of Roy London. 

Candidates for this award are those people who have demonstrated compassionate or charitable action to make Westwood a better community.   Past recipients can be found on the Town's website by clicking here.

All nominations of residents and organizations should be submitted to Christine McCarthy at Westwood Town Hall.  The award(s) will be presented at a Board of Selectmen meeting in the spring.  Please contact Christine McCarthy at cemccarthy@townhall.westwood.ma.us or 781-326-4172 with any questions or to make a nomination.  Nominations are due by March 2, 2018.

Nomination Form for Roy London Humanitarian Award

Created by the Westwood Rotary and Westwood Youth & Family Services (WY&FS), the Recognize A Youth  (R.A.Y.) Award recognizes outstanding citizenship by Westwood’s young people. Recipients have distinguished themselves through their initiative and commitment to community service and have demonstrated an ethic of caring for others that is essential to the health of our community.  Nominations are taken throughout the year and the award ceremony is held in the Spring.  The nomination deadline for the 2018 award is March 31, 2018. 

Program Guidelines:

1. Westwood residents age 18 and under are eligible.

2. Members of the Westwood Rotary will select recipients from nomination forms submitted.

3. A child may be selected only once, so that as many children as possible may be recognized. 

4. Family members of WY&FS, its board of advisors and the Westwood Rotary are not eligible. Nominations must be submitted by someone other than a family member. 

5. The program will recognize more than one person should a group of young people be nominated for a group community service effort.

6. Recipients will be honored at a Rotary event, receive a certificate of appreciation and a small gift, courtesy of the Westwood Rotary. 

Please click here to download the 2018 R.A.Y. Nomination Form.

Article from the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) Website:

Noah Wisch posted the video for his original song “Sidewalks” to YouTube on Dec. 4. The video, which has nearly 50,000 views, shows him playing a note in front of the iconic “Entering” sign for each community found along state roads.

Full article available https://www.mma.org/student-creates-song-recording-one-note-every-mass-city-and-town

The song is available for purchase at noahwisch.bandcamp.com.