Chelmsford’s Riverneck Road parcels considered for rezoning under MBTA Communities law
CHELMSFORD — A select portion of Riverneck Road is back up for discussion before the Planning Board, but now in a very different context — instead of a possible 400,000-square-foot warehouse, the parcels could be zoned for multifamily housing.
At its Thursday night meeting, officials shared information and gathered feedback for possibly rezoning that district or others to comply with the MBTA Communities law, which requires certain Massachusetts towns and cities to accommodate for housing near a commuter rail station, bus station, ferry terminal or subway station.
For Chelmsford, that looks like rezoning for housing that would provide for a capacity of an additional 1,477 people, or 10% of the town’s population according to 2020 census data, said Kelly Lynema, deputy director of the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments. While the town’s population will increase over time, Lynema said that number required by law will not change.
NMCOG, which serves nine local communities, has consulted with Chelmsford officials since last year, Lynema said, and most of the proposed districts up for discussion are not vacant or empty.
“What that means is that it would take a long time for a lot of these districts to actually be converted into housing,” Lynema said. “The way that capacity is calculated is, again, as if there were nothing there.”
Former Gov. Charlie Baker signed the effort into law in 2021 as the state continues to reckon with the ongoing housing crisis. A total of 177 communities across most of eastern Massachusetts are impacted by the law.
The proposed zoning district of at least 50 acres must exist at least half a mile from the town’s commuter rail, have a minimum gross density of 15 units per acre and be accessible to all ages and families with children. Chelmsford doesn’t have an MBTA station, meaning the district could be anywhere in town or divided into more than one district, as long as each district is at least five acres and one continuous district holds at least half the total acreage, Lynema said.
NMCOG Senior Planner of Housing and Land Use Michael Asciola laid out three possible districting maps, the first of which considers the four parcels at Riverneck Road owned by Davis Cos. There now are two industrial-use office buildings, a single-family dwelling and a vacant lot.
Given its proximity to Town Center, as well as the opportunity to redevelop the existing buildings, NMCOG considers it a viable option.
The property includes just under 21 “developable acres” with a capacity of 322 units, according to NMCOG. One of three subdistricts, the possible district would also rezone the former UMass Lowell West Campus area with a unit capacity of 1,043 and the former Radisson Hotel and surrounding area of Alpine Lane with a capacity of 118 units.
It is, however, not without its challenges, one being that those office buildings are “not usually easily convertible to housing,” Asciola said.
Precinct 9 Town Meeting Rep. Tracy Cole expressed a number of concerns, including whether the town can control the look of the housing that would be constructed. Chair Deirdre Connolly said the board will have design parameters.
Cole added that she worries about how the construction of multistory buildings would impact the aesthetic of Chelmsford.
“I really don’t want to be driving through Chelmsford and seeing three-story — I’ll feel like I’m driving in Downtown Lowell,” Cole said.
Two other districts being considered are the UPS area, near the North Billerica MBTA Commuter Rail station, and just the Radisson Hotel/Alpine Road area and UML West area, which is modeled at a five-story building maximum as opposed to a three-story maximum, Asciola said.
Sean Campbell, a resident who lives near the Riverneck site, criticized the zoning requirements required by the law, calling it “a bullying tactic to push the state problems onto our communities and small towns.” With the law, Campbell said residents’ quality of life will suffer and Chelmsford’s future growth will be negatively impacted.
Out of the possible zoning scenarios, Campbell said he prefers the UPS area, as it likely won’t lead to more traffic or disturb abutters.
“Riverneck Road, no joking on this one, I think this site is a major problem, this one site the Planning Board wants to keep under control at all circumstances,” Campbell said. “We are all very familiar with the issues that happened recently with this particular site. The developer wants to go to the extreme and is having a hard time hearing the neighborhood.”
Not only is the town obligated to comply with the law, but the town is also poised to lose state programs — last year, Chelmsford received about $900,000 through state-funded grants, Asciola said.
The law also aligns with the town’s goals of creating a more walkable community, Lynema said, where residents have stronger access to businesses and schools. Another key benefit is its impact on economic development. Lynema said there are fewer homes that would allow current residents to downsize without moving out of town.
“Somebody who’s getting a little bit older and may have to stay in a large single-family home. They may want to downsize, but there’s an absence of housing units that are available for people in a building with an elevator, with moderate accessibility requirements. There’s an absence of those kind of units,” Lynema said. “We’re also seeing that it’s really hard for adult children to move back to town.”
Originally published at https://www.lowellsun.com on September 23, 2023.
