Plymouth Rubber zoning articles likely not ready for May town meeting

A pair of zoning proposals that would have paved the way for the redevelopment of the former Plymouth Rubber property on Revere Street were officially put on hold last week after the developers determined that the project was not quite ready for the “prime time” stage of the upcoming May town meeting.

A view inside the former Plymouth Rubber factory

In a scheduled appearance before the Planning Board last Wednesday, attorney Paul Schneiders, speaking on behalf of his clients, New Hampshire developer Bernard Plante and the Napleton Company, informed the board of their intention to withdraw the two existing articles “without prejudice” in hopes of revisiting the issue in the near future — most likely at a special town meeting either later this spring or the following fall.

“We put these articles on hoping we could come up with something that would make use of that 40-acre site,” said Schneiders, “but at this point we do not think we’re quite ready for town meeting.”

The articles in question, if they had gone forward with them as written, would have created a new “Priority Revitalization Area C” within the Canton Center Economic Opportunity District — an overlay zone that currently applies to a large section of downtown Canton. The proposed new area would have then allowed Plante, who has partnered with Napleton, to move forward with his plans to build a 350-unit housing project consisting of apartments, townhouses, and single residences set aside as age-restricted for people 50 and older.

But while Plante did not give any indication that he has moved on from this proposal, he also wants both town officials and residents to be comfortable with whatever project is ultimately put forth. To that end, Schneiders said his clients were more than willing to collaborate with officials while also consenting to an independent review of the project — the results of which are now due to the Board of Selectmen on March 20.

According to Selectmen Chairman Bob Burr, who was also in attendance at last week’s hearing, the idea for the study came about at the conclusion of last year’s town meeting following yet another unsuccessful rezoning attempt by Napleton.

“We thought that it was important that [the proposal] was objectified and really hold the builder’s feet to the fire,” said Burr, “so that when we give up the leverage in the town of rezoning this property, that we’ve gotten the absolute best fit for the town of Canton and that we have some degree of certainty that what they propose to build is what we will ultimately see.”

Burr said the independent report, which is being prepared by noted zoning attorney Mark Bobrowski and a small team of experts, had to be delayed by a few weeks in order to allow the developer more time to complete necessary environmental testing.

“It was clear to me that they weren’t ready to proceed,” said Burr, who is part of a small committee that has been working with the developer over the past several months.

Burr said the plan now is to hold a joint meeting of the Planning Board, School Committee and Board of Selectmen in early April to review the report, followed by public workshops in the weeks leading up to town meeting. He said they could possibly then hold a special town meeting “within” the regular town meeting, although it could also wait until the fall or even the spring of 2014.

“We’re not interested in racing this through,” said Burr. “This is 45 acres in downtown Canton. The decision that this town makes will fundamentally change the look of downtown for the rest of our lives, and it’s really a long-term decision. So if it has to go later into the year at another town meeting or a special town meeting, then so be it.”

Meanwhile, in related news last week, Plante informed the Planning Board that an agreement with Benchmark Senior Living to construct and operate an assisted living facility on a nearby 2.5-acre parcel had fallen through due to “internal” problems.

Specifically, Plante said the developer opted not to purchase the site, which is located across the street from the Plymouth Rubber property, after learning that a competitor was planning to build a similar facility at the new University Station development on the Westwood-Canton border.

Plante requested a four-week extension to April 3 while he speaks to other interested parties. “We certainly have not given up on it,” he said, while adding that a few other operators have expressed interest in developing the property.

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Posted by Jay Turner on Mar 14 2013. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.