40R Holds Great Potential…But
I always believed that 40R holds great potential for this town. When I felt that its passage was being jeopardized by the decisions that were being made by the Board, I voiced my concerns.
I believed that although much damage had been done to this proposal it was not past the point of no return. I believed that the waterfront could be removed or sectioned off as a separate vote. I believed that the appearance of conflicts of interest would be resolved through the recusals from any discussion regarding 40R by the Board members involved or by the removal of the waterfront. I hoped the public would be given greater access to information in a timely manner, with a larger platform for formal discussion.
I do not support the inclusion on the waterfront of twenty lots of land into a 40R district simply because one developer “may’ move forward with a friendly 40B on one plot of land. That makes no sense, especially since the last time the public weighed in the decision was made to remove said district from the 40R. The district was reintroduced in a closed-door meeting between two individuals who do not now — nor have they ever — lived in Fairhaven.
Remember:
1. 40R does not prevent a developer from moving forward with a 40B project, even within a 40B overlay.
2. If the Town has no 40R project within 3 years of voting to create a 40R district, the Town must pay back the one-time payment of $375K for affordable units to the State.
3. The 20% of units which must be affordable under a 40R must reflect the demographics of those who need affordable housing in Greater New Bedford, leaving very few units available to Fairhaven citizens.
4. Any tax revenue generated by these new units will be needed to counter the increased costs related to increased population; in fact, Chapter 40S notes the State may have to reimburse towns due to the imbalance between tax revenues and service costs: this does not generate revenue for the Town.
Although I am a Planning Board member, my views are my own and I am not writing in any official capacity other than as a citizen and voter.
Kevin Grant, Fairhaven
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