The Return of Madalene Village

Above, a town map of parcels and owners. Cottage Street is shown at the top, Wachusett to the left and Peck to the right. The proposed Madelene Village project involves, from left to right,

Parcel 180: OWNER: RANIERI, MARGARET C TR MILLER, CATHERINE R TR, CO - OWNER: RANIERI TRUST

Parcel 179: OWNER: RANIERI MARGARET,CO - OWNER: MILLER CATHERINE TRS

Parcel 173: OWNER: RANIERI DONALD G, CO - OWNER: RANIERI MARY

Parcel 172: OWNER: RANIERI, MARGARET C TR MILLER, CATHERINE R TR CO - OWNER: RANIERI TRUST
Parcel 158: OWNER: MV COTTAGE DEVELOPMENT LLC

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A local matter has now, it appears, been moved into a state decision making process, with results that are as yet, hard to predict.

A few years ago, around the center of Franklin, it was hard to miss the yard signs proclaiming “Stop Madalene Village – Save Spruce Pond Brook.” The project, originally seeking to build 40 housing units across a group of parcels sandwiched between Fletcher field and homes on Cottage Street, Cottage Court, and Peck and Wachusett Streets, was given provisional approval by Mass Housing in 2016, contingent on meeting certain environmental conditions and approval by local authorities.

However, for the most part, the 2016 proposal by MV Cottage Development LLC was not greeted with enthusiasm by most town boards but did, ultimately, get the nod from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

But, according to a town government source, the neighbors then appealed but lost.

The developer then took the next step, and filed with Conservation Commission, where they were turned down.

MV Cottage Development then appealed to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The matter appears to be sitting at DEP for review and the applicant is moving forward with MEPA review – the hearing scheduled for Wednesday evening at the Library. The source speculated that this process is ‘at their own risk,’ implying that they are confident DEP will approve the project.

The MEPA hearing notice, stated the proponent [Rich Whittington of MV Cottage Development, LLC] has submitted an Expanded Environmental Notification Form ("ENF") / Environmental Impact Report ("EIR") to the Secretary of Energy & Environmental Affairs, and was published on December 231 2022 [sic] in the Environmental Monitor.

This application is pursuant to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act ("MEPA," M.G.L. c. 30, ss. 61-62L). Copies of the ENF/EIR are available at the: Franklin Public Library, at 118 Main Street in Franklin, MA 02038 Phone: (508) 520-4941 or may be obtained from: Goddard Consulting LLC, 291 Main St, Suite 8, Northborough, MA 01532 Phone: (508) 393-3784

An in-person public presentation will be made at 6:30 pm on January 18, 2023 at the Franklin Public Library located at 118 Main St, Franklin, MA 02038 to present the project to the public and to receive comments.

Asked about the planned hearing, Mark R. Arnold,  a Wetland Engineer with Goddard Consulting, reiterated what was in the notice. He said the meeting on the 18th is "a public informational meeting that we are doing to engage with the public. The project is seeking a permit under the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office (MEPA) which looks to ensure the public is aware of the application of the project and give them the opportunity to provide comments to the MEPA office. The project has gone through the ZBA approvals and we are working through the MEPA process now."

He also noted that there is a virtual public presentations  at 6:30 pm on January 16, 2023. [Use the link below to join the Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89312803952?pwd=UzNsUktDSTR3K0tkOU1KNTRSRjFBdz09

Meeting ID: 893 1280 3952   Passcode: 606638]

Yesterday, Franklin Matters, noting the reemergence of the project, posted many links to relevant documents describing some of this background in detail.

If MV Cottage Development is having a MEPA review it likely means they will be filing for permitting with the Town. Although this would bypass local zoning it would still, it seems, need to be reviewed and approved by the ZBA.

Building Commissioner, Lloyd “Gus” Brown said he wasn’t really sure where the project stood with the town and was reluctant to comment due to potential legal issues. He suggested inquiring with Town Manager Jamie Hellen or Town Counsel, Mark Cerel.

Hellen did respond to an inquiry yesterday, writing as follows:

It appears MEPA has hired outside public engagement consultants to help do public outreach and engagement. According to the woman who visited us, this is a new feature of MEPA projects. Like you, I’ve never heard of this until now. But I think it’s an admirable initiative to help folks know about hearings like this. In my experience, they used to hold many hearings like this in Boston, or site visits on site during work hours, both of which were very difficult for residents to attend. So, this citizen engagement is welcome.

As for the project itself, I do not have the staff letter accessible. Bryan [Taberner], Gus [Brown} and Amy [Love] have that from several years ago that outlined our concerns about the project. ... Among the many issues, our biggest concerns (I am fairly sure Jeff [Nutting] was still the TA at the time, too) were the location of the project, the overwhelming size of it, and the drainage and flooding impacts it will have on the abutting Fletcher Field and abutting residential homeowners (some already have challenges in this area). Those were a few of the biggest issues.

...I think the germane point is that hopefully abutters and residents attend the meeting.

It’s actually a great opportunity for folks to participate directly in front of state permitting officials. ...This project is a Chapter 40B project that was filed prior to the town obtaining the 10% threshold to avoid overriding local zoning. We have now been over that threshold for about four years. So, the Town does not have much say in this project.

The scope and date of this will be mostly defined by state officials at MEPA and DHCD.