The following letter to the editor was submitted by Andover resident Andy Rouse. The views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Andover News. You can learn more about our policy on opinion and commentary on our Mission and Policies page.
Article 1 of the upcoming Special Town Meeting proposes to create a new transit-oriented multifamily housing overlay zoning district that would satisfy the requirements of the MBTA Communities Housing mandate. Here are some reasons to vote NO:
- A new multifamily zoning district is unnecessary. We already have a transit-oriented, multifamily housing district that could meet the MBTA requirements: the Historic Mill Overlay District (HMOD). No need for a second such district.
- Rezoning in Ballardvale and on River Road does not disperse the housing units that can be built near Andover Station downtown. The HMOD isn’t being changed. The roughly 3,000 housing units allowed in the HMOD will still be allowed.
- The combination of the Ballardvale/River Road rezoning and the existing HMOD will allow nearly 4,000 new multifamily units in Andover, nearly twice as many as required by the MBTA mandate. That is excessive.
- The new multifamily district could significantly impact our schools, especially the high school, by adding nearly 1,000 housing units beyond what the HMOD currently allows, and nearly 2,000 beyond what the MBTA mandate requires.
- The proposed new housing in the middle of the River Road industrial district will not be a good place to raise a family There are no playgrounds, playing fields, parks or even sidewalks, and the housing would be surrounded by industrial activities on all sides.
- Using industrial land in the I-93 corridor for housing would reduce the opportunity for new companies to come to Andover and create good jobs.
- Companies may want housing near their industrial park, but they don’t seem to want housing in their industrial park. When Andover issued a comprehensive permit in 2014 for a housing complex in the River Road industrial district, Eisai Pharmaceuticals and four other nearby companies went to court to try to stop it. In 2018 when a proposal would have allowed an apartment complex inside the Dascomb Road industrial park, California Paints opposed it at Town Meeting. This change would make the River Road industrial parks less attractive to Page 1 of 2 many businesses.
Use the current HMOD to comply with the MBTA mandate. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
Andy Rouse
Cattle Crossing
Andover
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