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 ›

VIDEO: Bat Spooks Out ZBA Members, Residents at Town Hall

Discussion over Johnson Farm was briefly interrupted as the bat flew over the heads of those in attendance.

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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 ›

Zoning Board of Appeals Approves Modified Johnson Farm Project

ZBA members approved an affordable housing project for Landham Road, while making it clear they were doing so reluctantly.

A majority of the Zoning Board of Appeals has approved a modified version of a controversial housing project at 189 Landham Road. After hours of debate at Town Hall Thursday night, the Board agreed to move ahead with the approval process for the proposed Johnson Farm project, but with the stipulation that the development include 56 units, not 58. "I completely acknowledge that this plan is not perfect," said Board Chair Elizabeth Quirk, who opened the meeting by explaining that she was reluctantly giving her support to the plan for 58 units, which she modified to 56 by the end of the meeting. "Of course, zero units would be the ideal, but that is not an option that is available." State law requires communities to set aside a percentage of …

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Johnson Farm Hearing Closes, Approval Teeters

Zoning Board of Appeals members have 40 days to render a full decision on whether to approve the current 58-unit 40B rental complex proposal.

An emotional hearing on the proposed Johnson Farm affordable housing project closed on Tuesday without a clear approval or denial from the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). A 58-unit townhouse plan for the property at 189 Landham Road, which had garnered informal approval from the ZBA in a straw-man poll during the last segment of the hearing in May, was still on the table on Tuesday. Based on that poll, developer Robert Moss had since spent about $50,000 on an engineering study, and members of the audience waited patiently for approximately two hours while details of the latest plans were reviewed. While questions remained about things like porous pavement maintenance and wildlife migration patterns on the property, legal and engineering …

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Against Opposition, Latest Johnson Farm Concept Inches Forward

Zoning Board of Appeals indicates preliminary support for a 58-unit affordable housing rental complex.

In the latest of a series of public hearings on the proposed Johnson Farm 40B rental complex on Wednesday, the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) gave design plans for the project an informal nod of support, clearing the way for an engineering study.   Following public outcry from neighbors of the 189 Landham Road parcel, an initial plan by property owner Robert Moss to build 120 units of housing was cut down to 64 units at the end of March. Since then, the ZBA and Sudbury’s Conservation Commission have held several working sessions with Moss to tweak the proposed layout to further minimize environmental and aesthetic impacts, and the proposed number of units was down to 60 by Wednesday. ZBA member Jonathan Gossels, who participated in the …

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Kirsten Vandijk

1:42 pm on Thursday, May 31, 2012

The bamboo look alike invasive growing along Landham Road is a threat to the natural habitat there--surely Con Com negotiated the removal of that crop of beast plants.... time will tell.   more ›

Public Hearing on Johnson Farm Postponed

Following submittal of 60-unit plan, town opts to gather information before holding hearing.

In a very brief meeting on Monday, the Zoning Board of Appeals voted to postpone the public hearing on The Residences at Johnson Farm from Monday night to May 16, saying additional time is needed to work through the most recent plan proposal. The rescheduled hearing is the latest component in the long process of potentially building the 40B housing complex on Landham Road, for which developers have recently submitted modifications to the original plan that would reduce the total number of units by half, subject to approval by several town boards and committees. In remarks made on Tuesday, Sudbury Planning and Community Development Director Jody Kablack discussed the rescheduled hearing, saying town officials need more time to work through …

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Resident: Johnson Farm 40B Plan 'a Nightmare'

Changes to Residences at Johnson Farm officially proposed at Zoning Board of Appeals meeting.

At a public hearing on Wednesday, developers for the proposed Residences at Johnson Farm presented their latest plans for the property to a moderately receptive Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) and a less receptive audience of Sudbury residents. The revised plan is the product of working sessions between town officials and Robert Moss of Moss Development, owner of the Johnson Farm property located at 189 Landham Road. The new design calls for a reduction in the number of rental units at the proposed affordable housing complex from 120 to 64, a switch from three-story buildings to two-story townhouses, and a decrease in the amount of porous surface planned at the site. At the start of the meeting, Jonathan Gossels, a ZBA member who …

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Kirsten Vandijk

7:55 am on Friday, April 6, 2012

If the Town of Sudbury purchased some of the foreclosure and short sales in Sudbury for affordable housing we would reach our "quota" in record speed. Imagine it. No new viral developments, minor disruptive impact on abutters if any, and a more evenly distributed and community-wide approach. We need to think to the future. They don't make land anymore.   more ›

Sudbury Neighbors, Zoning Board Study Design of 40B Project

Details heard on the design of a proposed housing development that falls under the often-controversial 40B law.

About two dozen residents turned out for a hearing on a 40B housing project at Sudbury’s Zoning Board of Appeals meeting at Town Hall on Monday night. The project in question 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 currently consists of 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 …

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Zoning Board of Appeals Seeks Associate and Earth Removal Board Member

Position is appointed by the Board of Selectmen.

According to the Town of Sudbury website, the Sudbury Zoning Board of Appeals is looking for a member of the community to serve as an associate member for the ZBA, which makes decisions on applications for variances and special permits under the Zoning Bylaw. Associate members also serve as members of the Earth Removal Board, granting earth removal permits in accordance with Town Bylaw. Desired qualifications include having resided in Sudbury for a period of time, having served on another town board, having an interest in zoning, and having engineering, architectural or design expertise. All interested residents are welcome to submit a Volunteer Application. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. All members require …