Selectmen Award Melone to Prevent Sudbury Station in Town Center
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Sudbury Board of Selectmen awarded the bid to Quarry North for the re-use of the Melone Property, in exchange for the Sudbury Station land and $1,000,000, and contingent upon a Town Meeting vote, a development agreement, the Sudbury Water District disposition of land and a comprehensive permit process.
The Melone property, 36.7 acres on Route 117, was acquired by the Town in 1992 and had operated as a gravel pit. In July, after a charette-style focus group, a town-wide online survey, a series a public meetings and a public procurement process, the Town received three bids for the reuse of the property: Cavicchio Greenhouses, Inc., EDF Renewable Development, Inc. and The Quarry North Road LLC. The Board solicited feedback from Department Heads, Committees and Commissions, and the public, and heard presentations from all three proponents. The Board evaluated the three proposals based on the evaluation criteria laid out in the request for proposals and selected Quarry North as the most advantageous proposal.
The Quarry North proposal includes 300 rental units and 33 senior age-restricted townhomes under a local initiative program or “Friendly 40B.” In exchange for the Melone property, the developer would give the Town $1,000,000 and approximately 40 acres of land in Town Centre where the Sudbury Station project had been proposed. The Sudbury Station 40B project would be withdrawn, preserving 40 acres of land in historic Sudbury Center and ending expensive litigation. The Town has been opposing the Sudbury Station proposal in various legal venues, including the Housing Appeals Committee.
“This is a chance to prevent Sudbury Station and preserve our historic Town Center,” Chairman Bob Haarde said, of the decision. “Given that towns very rarely prevail over developers at the Housing Appeals Committee and the forceful dismissal of our lawsuit, this is our best chance to prevent Sudbury Station from being built in historic Town Center. All the professionals with whom we have consulted agree that Quarry North is a better location because the traffic mitigation which can be implemented along route 117 will do a much better job of reducing impacts than anything we could have done at Town Center.”
Quarry North would be the first and only 40B housing development in North Sudbury. Other 40B developments such as Avalon at Meadow Walk, Coolidge, Landham Crossing, Carriage Lane, Longfellow Glen, Orchard Hill and Villages at Old County Road are all in South Sudbury. Musketaquid Village and Fairbank Circle are in Central Sudbury.
The Board of Selectmen conditioned the award of the bid on many contingencies including a successful Town Meeting vote, negotiation of a development agreement, the disposition of Sudbury Water District land and a comprehensive permit process. Quarry North’s acquisition of adjacent property from the Sudbury Water District is necessary for the proposed development.
The next step for the Town is for the Board of Selectmen to negotiate a development agreement with Quarry North. A development agreement is created between the Town and a developer, and dictates the developer’s obligations to the Town, as well as the Town’s obligations to the developer. The development agreement lays out the framework for the development, as well as any mitigation due to the Town. Typical mitigation includes traffic upgrades, pedestrian safety, and utility upgrades as well as mitigation for burdens to public services, such as the schools or public safety. Further mitigation and conditions could be imposed when Quarry North seeks a comprehensive permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals.
“Through negotiation of this development agreement and the comprehensive permit process, the Town will be able to mitigate or address many of the concerns of Town residents and departments,” said Melissa Rodrigues, Town Manager. “I look forward to working with the negotiation team to make certain that the Town’s best interests are addressed.”
More information on the Melone property can be found at:
An FAQ on Melone can be found here:
https://sudbury.ma.us/MeloneFAQ