Man About Canton: Re-zoning Rte. 138

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It is time to resurrect the Route 138 Economic Opportunity Overlay District Bylaw. The bylaw, which took nearly two years to draft, would have established two overlay zones, one from the Milton town line to the I-93 overpass and one from Randolph Street to Tracy Wood Road. The bylaw would encourage a variety of uses from restaurants to research laboratories to movie theaters and mixed-use developments.

In a lengthy feature story on Route 138 zoning published last April in the Citizen, Paul Schneiders, a respected local attorney and an expert on Canton zoning laws, said that the current zoning on Route 138 was “totally broken” and needed a major overhaul in order to revitalize the area. “It just doesn’t fit in with the current times,” he told the Citizen. The Route 138 EOD bylaw was defeated at the annual town meeting in 2009, and in MAC’s and many others’ opinion, it is time to take a second look at what the president of the Canton Association of Business and Industry Gene Manning referred to as a “diamond in the rough” and a roadway that has the potential to be a “major artery with vibrant businesses.” Someone has to dust off those old plans and work with the Planning Board, selectmen, and other town boards to try to come up with something on Route 138 that the town meeting would consider a success for the town of Canton. Who will step forward?

The town of Canton recently added $362,000 to its general town treasury by auctioning off a house at 35 Turnpike Street for $170,000 and an adjoining parcel of land for $150,000. The town was also in the process of auctioning a house on Pleasant Circle, but the owner was able to pay back all of its taxes, fees and other associated costs.

According to the Boston Globe and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Canton has one of the highest percentages of dentists per 10,000 residents in the south shore. With almost 15 dentists per 10,000 residents, only Sharon with 23.8 dentists per 10,000 residents, Norwell with 20, and Hingham with 17.0 are higher. The state median is only 6.9.

The state’s income tax rate dropped from 5.25 percent to 5.2 percent. Yes, a tax cut, but a very small one.

Plans are in the works for a 29-lot subdivision off Indian Lane and a three-lot and eight-lot subdivision off Washington Street.

If you want to rent gym time at the Stoughton schools, the fee has recently increased from $34 an hour to $38.

The Kennedy Elementary School’s fifth grade play, “The Mystery in the Museum,” written by the students last year in fourth grade with professional author Steven Krasner, was a huge success. It opened to rave reviews on Friday, January 24, and there was another showing on Saturday, January 25. Almost every student had a part in the play, either acting or as ushers or stage crew. MAC was in attendance with his family and really enjoyed the show. Congratulations Kennedy School fifth graders!

Last year, former Red Sox player Kevin Youkilis signed a guaranteed $12 million, one-year deal with the New York Yankees and played in only 28 games before being sidelined with a back injury. This year he signed a $4 million deal with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Pacific League. Youkilis is married to Tom Brady’s sister.

Canton native Erika Bornemann, a senior forward on the UMass Dartmouth women’s basketball team, recently became the seventh player in the program’s history to score 1,000 career points. She leads the team in scoring and rebounding.

Olivia Murphy, another CHS graduate, recently set a record on the UMass Boston team with 15 made field goals and tied another with 33 points in a game. The sophomore forward also leads the team in scoring, averaging 20.8 points and 12.2 rebounds per game.

The Canton School Committee has authorized School Superintendent Jeffrey Granatino to look into hiring a school building energy manager to be shared between the Canton and Sharon school systems. The two districts would be eligible for a state grant that would pay for 60 percent of the costs.

CHS senior Kim McNally was named to the Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic soccer team.

Canton resident Margarita Delaporta, a senior guard on the Blue Hills Regional girls’ basketball team, has led the Warriors to five straight wins to open the season in the Mayflower Athletic Conference. She scored 19 points in a recent 50-36 win over Tri-County.

Selectmen recently appointed Joe Regan as an on-call animal control officer.

Canton police officers Zack Pearlstein, Tim Taylor, and Ryan Sceviour are all recent graduates of the Police Academy.

Canton firefighter Michael Hache recently graduated from the State Fire Academy. Hache, a 2008 graduate of Blue Hills Regional, grew up on Pleasant Street.

On January 7, 2014, all 50 states, including Hawaii, recorded temperatures below freezing (32 degrees Fahrenheit).

Finally, due to an editorial oversight, the date of the upcoming Canton Lions Club celebrity hockey game was again incorrectly listed in last week’s column. The game, between the Boston Black and Gold Legends (former Boston Bruins hockey players) and the Canton All-Stars, will take place on Friday, February 7, starting at 7 p.m. at the Canton skating rink, located at 2167 Washington Street.

Time has a wonderful way to show us what really matters.

This is all for now folks. See you next week.

Joe DeFelice can be reached at manaboutcanton@aol.com.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=23995

Posted by Joe DeFelice on Jan 30 2014. Filed under Featured Content, Man About Canton, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.