The Village at Bedford Woods ~Inching Toward a Resolution ~ ZBA Public Hearing Continued to June 13

By Dot Bergin

The Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing on May 9 to address a modification to Comprehensive Permit 035-04, in which developer Sid Gehlot seeks to construct three buildings with 26 townhomes at the Village at Bedford Woods, 1000 Albion Road.

At the hearing, well attended by many residents of the Village at Bedford Woods, Gehlot outlined changes to his original proposal, slimming down the project from an earlier 40 additional units to 26 townhomes. Selectman Margot Fleishman and Code Enforcement Director Chris Laskey were also present.

Gehlot said the first proposal to add 40 more units to the site at 1000 Albion Road “was not well received by the condominium association,” and he and his team went back to the drawing board to come up with a plan more acceptable to the residents.  The plan before the ZBA now calls for 20 three-bedroom homes and six two-bedroom units, with a mix of styles and sizes, ranging from 2095 Sq. ft to 1155 sq. ft. Some units will have master bedrooms on the ground floor. Maugel Architects (Harvard, MA) is designing the complex. All new units will have garages.

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A significant aspect to the Village at Bedford Woods project is that it is the first Chapter 40B (affordable) housing development to be proposed in Bedford in a decade. The project has a convoluted history, in that the original Comprehensive Permit was issued 14 years ago. The ZBA earlier voted that Gehlot’s plan represented a substantial modification to the original Comprehensive Permit and denied the petition.  (For detail, see the ZBA Meeting Minutes of December 13, 2018.)  After that hearing, the town Counsel filed papers with the Department of Housing and Community Development but the developer never appealed to the DHCD. In February the developer made an informal presentation at a business meeting of the ZBA with the proposal for 26 townhomes.  Some Albion road residents were present and generally were favorable to the revised plan.  And that is where the matter stands today, with the public hearing to be continued.

A 40B project requires that 25% of the units be affordable.  Other requirements are that the units be diverse in size and be dispersed throughout the development, (not all in one building).  In the case of 26 total units, MassHousing, which has the final say, may designate either six or seven units as affordable.

(MassHousing’s Planning and Programs Department leads the Agency’s municipal engagement efforts. The department oversees new housing production under Chapter 40B, administers MassHousing’s Planning for Housing Production Grant Program, and supports municipally-driven efforts to produce new affordable and mixed-income housing.)

Henry Goodman, attorney for the Trustees, said a majority of unit owners are in favor of the revised plan, as are the Trustees. Marcia Friedman, a Trustee, said there is very little green space in the area and she hoped members of the ZBA would visit the site.  Residents want to keep the green space open and do not favor a play yard.

Residents’ concerns centered on these issues:

  • Is Albion Road (which is not a public way) in good enough condition to support heavy construction traffic? The only access to/from Albion is onto Middlesex Turnpike, which will still be under construction for several more years. The developer said that Albion would be resurfaced.
  • Emergency access for ambulance and fire vehicles is via an unpaved road onto Wyman Road, Billerica.
  • Parking: developer said 32 spaces will be provided for guest parking.
  • Plans for snow and trash removal? The developer is working on those now and will present plans to the residents.

Margot Fleischman, speaking for herself because the Selectmen have not seen the latest iteration of the Village plan, asked about pricing for the new units. Gehlot gave a range from the low $400 thousands to the high $600s. Fleischman said the larger units may exceed what the town is looking for.  Bedford’s aging population, currently at 30%, is growing and she did not see the need for senior-oriented housing reflected in the current plan.

The meeting concluded with the developer promising another set of drawings for residents to discuss. ZBA Chair Todd Crowley called for a motion to continue the public hearing to June 13, approved.

For background on the evolution of this project, see these earlier articles in The Citizen.

 

 

 

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