LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Yearning for the Sudbury I Fell in Love With

Resident Bob Stein says the Kablacks' influence over town government needs to change for the good of Sudbury.

I could not disagree more strongly with Mark Kablack's letter last week.  First, I do not know of a "birther movement" in Sudbury.  I don't even know what that is.  I reject, on many levels, this practice by Mark Kablack and the Offners to classify, generalize, stereotype and chastise people who speak truth to power as "birthers" or "teabaggers" or "those people who should leave Sudbury."  Name calling is the first sign of a weak defense.  I have always felt very welcome in Sudbury.  I love this town and have spent much time and effort working to make it an even better place to raise our children.  I have never been afraid to ask difficult questions, speak openly and honestly and I am not going to stop now.  I am not a part of any …

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siobhan hullinger

7:40 am on Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Is there some reason you are copying my posts and then posting them under your name sudburycitizentoo?   more ›

VIDEO: Resident Bob Stein, Chairman Larry O'Brien Spar Over Melone Property Conversation

A consulting firm advised the highest value for the property would be to build garden-style condos. Stein argued building any type of housing on that land should be off limits. O'Brien countered, saying it's the responsibility of the Board to do so before

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VIDEO: Sparks Fly at Selectmen's Meeting Over Melone Property Use

Vice Chair Bob Haarde challenges Jody Kablack, director of planning and community development, over possibly building 40B housing and fields, rather than the suggested garden style condos. Kablack storms out before the conversation ends.

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Conservation Commission Studies Senior Housing for Tall Pine Drive

Community would consist of 50 bedrooms.

The Conservation Commission heard details of a plan to create a senior living community consisting of 50 bedrooms at 40 Tall Pine Drive at its Monday night meeting at Sudbury Town Hall.   "To be very clear, this is not a 40B project," said Joshua Fox, who was representing The Green Company, the Newton-based developer looking to win approval for the plan.  40B refers to the state law that allows developers to bypass some zoning restrictions if they set aside at least 25 percent of new housing units for low-income residents at rates they can afford. 40B has been a source of controversy recently among residents who don't wish to see a development that includes affordable housing constructed on Landham Road.   "This project provides …

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Johnson Farm Controversy Moves to the Conservation Commission

Residents who oppose an affordable housing development planned for South Sudbury continue to voice concern.

Dozens of Sudbury residents still hoping to head off the proposed Johnson Farm housing development on Landham Road crowded into the Conservation Commission's Monday night meeting at Town Hall. The controversial project, which would consist of 56 housing units, has already won preliminary approval from members of the Zoning Board of Appeals, who made it clear they were doing so reluctantly and only because they feared that if they didn't approve a smaller project, developer Robert Moss could appeal to the state and perhaps win approval for a much larger project involving 120 units. "We have received numerious letters and emails, and we appreciate the interest in the subject," said Commission Chair John Sklenak, mentioning that many of the …

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Kirsten Vandijk

8:03 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2012

So it is time that every individual resident who has tangible--TANGIBLE--reasons for not building this Ark to give the ConCom your arguments. Has anyone contacted the Massachusetts Historical Commission to determine if this area is Historically sensitive? Please, do it! I don't have the provenance anymore as I moved from Landham Road.   more ›

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Whose Interests are Town Officials Representing?

Affordable housing development in South Sudbury has many residents questioning those making decisions for the town.

South Sudbury is currently being developed at an unprecedented rate. There are three approved developments: Landham Crossing (32 units); The Coolidge at Sudbury (64 units); and Sudbury Village (73 units) in a 1-square-mile area that will add 169 units of new housing.    Another 56-unit rental townhouse proposal at Johnson Farm has been approved by the ZBA and is pending before the Conservation Commission, which will bring the total of new housing units to 225, within a 1-square-mile area of the intersection of Route 20 and Landham Road. At this juncture, a number of town residents want to express our concern about the prescribed decision-making process that has led to these unprecedented development decisions made within the past two years…

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Residents, ZBA Members Go 'Batty' Wednesday Night Over Unwelcomed Visitor

A bat flies into Town Hall, disrupting the discussion over Johnson Farm.

While the Sudbury Zoning Board of Appeals debated the controversial issue of the Johnson Farm housing development at Sudbury Town Hall Wednesday night, there was one issue on which there was 100 percent agreement from everyone in the room - the medium-size bat that flew into the meeting was most unwelcome.   "Eww, that's a bat, a bat in the room," exclaimed Board Chair Elizabeth Quirk, interrupting a Board member's monologue about the Johnson Farm project.   Residents dove for cover as the bat flew back and forth across the room for several minutes, while a few of the board members tried various methods to try to get the bat to fly out the door.   "Time to go, buddy," one Board member said, trying to use a pad of paper to push the bat …

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Board of Appeals Still Fretting Over Johnson Farm Project

After approving a modified version of the controversial housing project in June, Board members continue to express reservations about the 40B development.

Three weeks after approving a controversial affordable housing development proposed for 189 Landham Road, members of the Zoning Board of Appeals spent time at their Wednesday night meeting at Sudbury Town Hall debating the merits of the project. "I spent a bunch of time since our last meeting driving around viewing 40B locations," said Board member Benjamin Stevenson, showing a map he made to indicate where current affordable housing is distributed throughout Sudbury.  "You have 20 percent of the community hosting 80 percent of the 40B locations." Stevenson stressed that he feels that it would be better to distribute affordable housing more evenly throughout the town, so that no one neighborhood or area is burdened with more than its fair …

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Edward Stark

2:09 pm on Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Yon we could have purchased Johnson Farm for $1.5 million and owned the land. We paid $10 million to preserve the Boy Scout reservation. That's why it is a bad deal. Four developments in on specific part of town is not fair and certainly horrible planning. Do you think that it is?   more ›

Landham Crossing Construction Under Way on Boston Post Road

Housing project will consist of 8 'affordable' units.

If you've been traveling along Boston Post Road the last couple of weeks you've likely noticed traffic has been heavier with the construction of a new 40B project. The project is the proposed Landham Crossing condo development on an eight-acre site which is often referred to as the Esser property. The development at 192 Boston Post Road would consist of 32 two-bedroom units, eight of which would be deemed “affordable” and reserved for residents who meet income criteria, and 24 that would be rented or sold at market rate. The property had one dilapidated single-family home and several outbuildings in poor condition, according to Attorney Josh Fox, who said those properties have limited value and would be razed to make way for the …

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Latest 40B Plan Still a Bad Idea

An entire neighborhood of Sudbury residents say choosing one plan over another out of fear is the wrong path to take.

We were deeply discouraged by the results of the last ZBA meeting, but we should not give up efforts to inform the ZBA that approving a smaller project protects the neighborhood and the Town and allows the developer a very healthy profit. It is clear that two of the five ZBA members did not want to approve the 56-unit plan. Despite the ZBA’s vote to move forward with a 56-unit plan at its last meeting, the ZBA has not yet written its decision and there is still time for the ZBA to approve a smaller development and write stringent conditions into its decision that will protect the Town. If the ZBA were to approve a smaller plan (45 units or less), there would be no need for a sewage plant on this sensitive land and no need to threaten the …

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