Letter to the Editor: Shayne Shaughnessy urges residents to submit comments regarding East Milton 40B project to Town

March 2, 2020

To our neighbors:

My name is Shayne Shaughnessy and my husband and I reside on Franklin Street with our three young children, ages 6, 4 and 2. We are the direct abutters to the “Residences at East Milton Square” 40B proposal. We wanted our neighbors in the East Milton Square neighborhood to be aware of what this project entails and how your voice can help shape the outcome. A quick breakdown of the proposal but you can see all of the details and renderings by visiting this website:  https://www.townofmilton.org/select-board/40b-site-eligibility-application-information.

• 111 total units
• 25 Studio Apartments (6 affordable $1,473, 19 market rate $2,250)
• 49 1 Bedroom (13 affordable $1,521, 36 market rate $2,600)
• 25 2 Bedroom (6 affordable $1,763, 19 market rate $3,200)
• 12 3 Bedroom (3 affordable $1,986, 9 market rate $3,600)

Please take note that on Wednesday, March 11th the Select Board will be hearing residents’ comments on the East Milton project.  I understand that the East Milton developer will be making a presentation during this meeting as well. Another meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 7th strictly for our 40B. Please take note of these very important dates and we hope that you will attend. Please check the town website for the start time of the meetings as they haven’t clarified that yet. If you cannot attend, you can also send in a statement to our Town Administrator Mike Dennehy, [email protected]

Also on March 25th, the Selectboard’s consultant, Judi Barrett, will be providing a short information session on the 40B process for residents between 7:00 and 7:30 p.m.

Chairman Zullas said these are 3 things to keep in mind when preparing a statement:

1. Whether the site of the proposed project is appropriate for residential development, taking into consideration information provided by municipal parties regarding actions previously taken to provide affordable housing needs;
2. Whether the conceptual design is generally appropriate for the site on which it is located, taking into consideration factors such as the proposed use, the conceptual site plan, building massing, topography, environmental resources, and integration into the existing development patterns;
3. Whether the proposed project appears financially feasible within the housing market in which it is sited.
   Our family is NOT against affordable housing, mixed use development, or change. But we are FOR a safe neighborhood for our 3 children and the children in this neighborhood. Our neighborhood is already filled with cut through traffic with drivers who are not cautious AT ALL. If you feel that this project is too large for our neighborhood, now is a time to have your concerns heard.

Thank you for your time,
~Shayne & John Shaughnessy