MAC: Vote Yes for Senior Housing Overlay District
By Joe DeFeliceDID YOU KNOW …
At the annual town meeting to be held on Monday, May 13, voters will be asked to approve a zoning change that will allow the construction of a senior housing community in Canton. The “SHOD” (Senior Housing Overlay District) zoning articles, submitted by attorney Richard Staiti on behalf of Brightview Senior Living, will result in a new building made up of 175 units composed of independent living units, as well as assisted-care and memory-care living units, on land located at 125 Turnpike Street.
The three articles will amend the bylaw, amend the map, and add new definitions under the title “SHOD.” This special type of housing would be reserved for seniors age 62 and older. The land is the present site and operation of AA Will Sand and Gravel. It consists of about 32 acres of land, half of which is wetland. The new building will only use about 10 percent of land and will leave a vast amount of the present land open and untouched.
The land is zoned for residential B and could be built as of right by a developer for single-family homes. In fact, 20 to 35 single-family homes could be built on the property, and with the increasing costs to educate students and already crowded classrooms, senior housing makes sense. Brightview will pay over $235,000 in taxes to the town and also make a one-time cash contribution of over $300,000 to the town in lieu of setting aside affordable units.
Brightview Senior Living owns and operates many senior housing communities in the state, with two others under construction, the nearest one being New Pond Village in Walpole. Both the Canton Planning Board as well as the Canton Finance Committee voted unanimously to support the SHOD zoning articles. MAC urges you to vote yes on Articles 16, 17 and 18 for the senior housing community!
The Canton Rotary Club will celebrate its 75th anniversary on Tuesday, June 11, at the Blue Hills Country Club in Canton. Retired Canton Fire Chief Jim Fitzpatrick will be the guest honoree.
The Stoughton Zoning Board of Appeals recently approved the expansion of the IKEA furniture store by adding 60,000 square feet for a new warehouse.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, the percentage of minority students in Canton schools is 23. Milton and Sharon are 30 percent, while Randolph is close to 70 percent.
Former Cantonite Greg Timilty is running for the District 8 spot on the Boston City Council. Greg is the son of Joe Timilty, a former state senator from Canton. Greg’s opponent, Joshua Zakim, is also the son of another famous local politician, the late civil rights activist Leonard P. Zakim. His father is the namesake of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge.
A sure sign of spring in Boston is the return of the swan boats to the Public Garden. The boats began running for the 137th consecutive year on Saturday, April 13, and will continue to run through September 15.
The Boston Red Sox public address announcers for 2013 will be operated by a three-man PA rotation system. Dick Flavin, former WBZ-TV host, will work the day games. Longtime sportscaster, also at WBZ-TV, Bob Lobel, will handle most Saturday games, while a newcomer to the sport scene, Henry Mahegan, a 31-year-old Charlestown High School teacher, will be the workhorse, taking most of the night games.
The CBS Sports Scene at Patriots Place in Foxboro was recently named 2013 sports bar of the year. The sports bar has 147 HD TVs.
The Ford Focus was the world’s top-selling car in 2012 with over one million sold. More than a quarter of all Focuses were sold in China, the model’s largest market. The Toyota Corolla was the second best selling vehicle.
The U.S. Department of Energy said it expects gasoline prices at the pumps to average $3.60 per gallon through the summer driving season, which runs from now through September.
If the state budget is approved, the gas tax would rise to 24 cents per gallon starting in July. The three-cent hike would bring an estimated $100 million a year into the state treasury.
The average U.S. state gas tax is 23.44 cents per gallon. In New England, Connecticut has the highest gas tax at 46 cents per gallon.
Robert J. Murphy, the former Canton conservation agent, was paid an annual salary of $48,960 by the town of Canton. Murphy was the conservation agent for Canton for 22 years. He left in November 2012 amid conflict of interest allegations.
The new conservation agent for Canton will be Cynthia O’Connell. She will share her duties with the town of Dedham where she is presently employed as its conservation agent.
According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, almost 50 percent of Canton residents age 25 or older hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. Sharon and Westwood top the list on the south shore at almost 70 percent, while neighboring Stoughton and Randolph check in at 30 percent.
The town of Westwood will hold a special town meeting within its annual town meeting on May 6 on seven warrant articles related specifically to the University Station construction project. The project borders the town of Canton at University Ave.
If you make a decision for the right reasons, it is never wrong.
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=20359
Posted by Joe DeFelice
on May 2 2013. Filed under Man About Canton, Opinion.
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