Help Stop Hostile Development In Belmont
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Proactive, affordable housing that makes sense for Belmont
Build Wise Belmont is dedicated to helping our community construct a brighter “affordable future” by:
- Fair and equitable housing is needed – in our country, in our state, and in our town.
- Belmont has a Housing Production Plan to increase Affordable Housing in a planned manner, but we’re not moving fast enough.
- Exploiting the terms of Mass housing law Chapter 40B, until 10% of the town’s housing stock is deemed affordable, developers have leverage vs the zoning board in that they can force shocking waivers counter to local zoning bylaws, including much smaller setbacks, much higher height, multi-family/multi-building, and many others. In short, you have far less control in helping shape affordable housing in a responsible manner; the developers can aggressively so what they want rather than work cooperatively with the town and neighborhood, all legal.
To help Belmont control hostile developments in single-family home neighborhoods, we are currently asking the community to oppose the 91 Beatrice Circle Development. Funds used for legal representation will HELP MINIMIZE THE IMPACTS OF THESE PROJECTS AND CREATE A FAVORABLE PRECEDENT FOR SIMILAR, FUTURE HOSTILE 40B PROPOSALS IN BELMONT.
Below is a summary of the recent history of 40B in Belmont and BWB’s progress to date. We thank you for your support and hope you will consider:
· Making a contribution to our legal fund
· Joining our Facebook group and mailing list
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What is the loophole with 40B?
Because Belmont is currently beneath Massachusetts’s accepted 10% level of affordable inventory, a Florida-based developer is leveraging the state’s 40B law to get massive buildings approved on single-family lots.
Under 40B, they can propose large-scale developments on single-family lots in residential neighborhoods, bypassing the height, density, and setback limits of our local zoning regulations. As long as they designate 25% of the units as "affordable," the state can mandate their "eligibility" and restrict the governance of our Zoning Board. This means 3 of the proposed units will be “affordable.”
There are several issues the 91 Beatrice Circle Development, don’t just take our word for it:
Belmont Zoning Board Concerned about Proposed 40B project seeking 38 waivers
Belmont Zoning Board Decides Not To Invoke Safe Harbor
Developers Amend proposed 40B Plan for 91 Beatrice Circle
Density: The current proposal accounts for 40 bedrooms on one half-acre lot. To break it down that’s:
- 8 three-bedroom units
- 4 four-bedroom units
- 2 buildings of townhomes (one four stories high and one three stories high)
- 12 garages and 8 surface parking spaces
- The project accounts for 121 square feet of open space for up to 72 children to play, that’s about 2.5% of the average outdoor basketball court.
Fire & Safety
There is insufficient room for fire trucks and emergency vehicles to enter and exit the lots. Below are images of the proposed development and the existing lot. 
Traffic & safety risks:
Many safety concerns revolve around the frontage road where cars regularly speed upwards of 50 MPH onto the Route 2 on-ramp. This existing safety concern will be the same road where commuters will wait for MBTA busses and children will wait for school busses to stop.
Snow removal is a major concern for this project, currently, the plan does not account for this. The current snow removal plan for frontage road uses the sidewalks to store excess snow making them impassable in winter.
The comprehensive permit also includes a clause to move the crosswalk on the frontage road from directly in front of the frontage road overpass, to the right where there is no existing sidewalk.
Environment & Sustainability:
Not only does the project violate the sustainable development principles (reusing existing structures, pedestrian-friendly district, doesn’t mix recreational activities with open space), the project will also remove at least 5 trees causing concern for flooding and drainage issues from stormwater that will affect the entire neighborhood. Additionally, the project does not include any renewable or green energy features.
Belmont's civil engineering consultant found that the current plan could cause a "bathtub effect" which is widespread flooding that could compromise the integrity of a retaining wall two feet away from a neighboring property. These findings caused the developer to withdraw their waiver request for stormwater management from the ZBA and they are now applying for the permit through the town of Belmont.
Character of our town:
These towering, box-like buildings, located in our residential single-family home community, are designed to pack extreme density into small, residential lots. They are built with minimal setbacks so the building can make use of every available square foot of land. The height, massing, density, and setbacks of the 91 Beatrice Circle proposal are equally incongruous with the neighborhood, positioning 12 four-story tall townhouses 20 feet from the abutting properties. More exterior air conditioning units are positioned just feet from the abutting properties without mitigation of sight and sound.
Three ways you can help.
1. DONATE to our legal fund to support your fellow residents to minimize the impacts of these applications. With appropriate legal representation, residents and neighbors will be able to address many aspects of the application and permitting process, hire engineers and traffic experts when appropriate, and hold the developers accountable to produce the most effective outcome satisfying all parties within the parameters of the guidelines.
Goal: $150,000
2. Get informed. Review the following resources on equitable and affordable housing to help shape Belmont's path to affordable housing.
- Belmonts road to equitable housing
- Belmonts Housing Production Plan
- Belmonts Housing Trust Page
- Chapter 40B and MassHousing
3. JOIN our Facebook group for notifications at Build Wise Belmont
4. JOIN our mailing list and stay informed with the latest news.
For Questions Contact Us Through Facebook
Organizer and beneficiary
Kent Newton
Organizer
Belmont, MA
Kristin Boardman
Beneficiary