Park Central developer’s appeal postponed again

The Park Central appeals scheduled to be heard by the Zoning Board of Appeals tonight were continued/postponed. This time the delay was caused by a member of the ZBA who was unable to appear.

ZBA Chair Andrew Dennington explained that member Paul Drepanos was unable to attend do to a work conflict. Since Drepanos sat on the first hearing, Dennington said the hearing had to be continued.

The hearing Dennington referred to was actually one of the two appeals scheduled for tonight. In January, a hearing was opened on the developer’s appeal of a Planning Board decision to reject the site plan.

It was scheduled to continue in February. A second appeal by the developer was scheduled to open following that hearing. That appeal is of a decision by the Building Inspector. Both were postponed to tonight at the applicant’s request.

The hearings have been continued to Wednesday, May 17th. That was the date requested by Capital Group Properties with a decision extension to June 9th. 

When hearings resume/open, they will be without the participation of member Leo Bartolini who also participated in the first hearing. Dennington said that Bartolini has recused himself at the instruction of selectmen. ZBA member Debbie DeMuria will take his place.

Dennington apologized to the public who showed. The issue came up this afternoon and they notified participants as soon as possible.

Before adjourning, the Chair told attendees that the board posted materials that had been submitted related to the appeals on their website. Click here to open that page.

Updated (4/14/17 10:38 am): Apologies to Debbie DeMuria for misspelling her last name.

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Matthew Brownell
6 years ago

This mestasasizing and dangerous cancer known as Park Central, and last August’s decision by the ZBA to grant Capital Properties Group the Comprehensive Permit for the Park Central project, truly originates from the corrupt Province of Crazy Ass.

Until Park Central, I had never witnessed such a blistering dismissal of resident safety concerns, or, for that matter, the hurried, E-ZPass fast lane that the ZBA, Selectmen, and Town Counsel have afforded Capital Properties Group for this monstrous and patently unsafe project.

Is this because our elected officials and appointed boards are hungry for tax ratables? Or is this a deeper issue of rabid Affordable Housing advocates merging into an unholy and strange alliance with pro-development, capitalist cronies?

Obviously, any Southborough resident who can cloud a chilled mirror KNOWS that the land-locked Park Central parcel, and it’s proposed one (1) bidirectional egress point onto Flagg Rd, is ridiculously unsafe to neighborhood residents, as well as to hundreds of locals who use these narrow country lanes on a daily basis for recreation.

Candidly, I am highly disappointed in our Selectmen, ZBA, and Town Counsel – who, long ago, should have taken a more transparent, above-board, and aggressive leadership role in keeping Southborough’s residents out of harms way.

mark dassoni
6 years ago

ok, gone through ZBA website lot of details: will condense hopefully, from the Planning board chair Dan Morris letter-Fuss and O”neill wetland practice was not allowed, Concom -issues not resolved \ Gary S. Brackett letter to ZBA read memorandum at april 12th meeting was not done,\ Parts 1 + 2 from Attorney Catanzaro letter included building inspector failure of zoning relief , planning board rejection of site, which was approved by ZBA \ part 2 was full of attachments : 1-planning board minutes from 7
\11\2016-attachment 6-julyn 8 2016 letter to planning board-\attachment 7-planning board minutes from 8\15\2016-\ attachment 8-letter from Katie Keefe property manager to planning board about storm water results-\ attachment-9-capital group letter to town planner on 9\19\2016 about fuss and o:neill peer review, march 24 ZBA minutes, \attachment 10-9\19\2016 planning board minutes,\attachment 11-planning board minutes,\attachment 12-fuss and o:neill letter to town planner on 9\22\2016,\attachment 13-9\29\2016-planning board minutes,\attachments-3-4-5-6-9-were on maps site designs, so I was not surprise for continuance ,it a paper-hearsay-and legal circus at best, may 17 it might be the same as april 12 postponement, mark dassoni .

Govt
6 years ago

In October of 2014 3 members of the zba continued a hearing based on no quorum for park central due to Lisa Capellos absence. Lisa then moved out of town and the zba operated park central with 3 members. August of 2016 the zba voted with 3 members on the board with no quorum and the following day Chairman Eagle left town. Prior to that date there were numerous meetings with only 3 members as the zba and town counsel coordinated the debacle of park central. Now town counsel is attacking residents in court on the taxpayers dime to protect his actions and the actions of the zba. Last nights meeting was postponed for no quorum ironically enough. The zba had no issue operating with NO QUORUM for years on park central and with a member that should’ve and refused to recuse himself throughout the process. The residents are now left to clean up the towns mess made by BOS, ZBA and the inadequacy of town counsel on the taxpayers dime and the cost of residents to fight him. Take back our town!

Publius
6 years ago

The best of course of action is to work with the developer for accommodations to the plan. There is little realistic doubt the project will go forward.

Matthew Brownell
6 years ago
Reply to  Publius

“Publius”, you’re kidding, right???

You posted this same comment in years past on “My Southborough”, also under cowardly anonymity. Naturally, since I’m unable to verify the circumstances and facts that would enable you to arrive at such a statement, I can only speculate on the origins:

1) You’re an unconscionable shill for the Park Central developer, Selectmen, ZBA, and Town Counsel. – who have allowed this dangerous, ruptured sewer line to spew-on in Southborough, .

2) You are refusing to acknowledge the mounting body of evidence of illegal Conflicts of Interest, violations of meeting recusal , and illegal administrative violations by the Selectmen and ZBA – in matters related to Park Central . . . conditions which existed **prior **to the ZBA granting of the Park Central Comprehensive Permit .

3) Judging from the silence of Southborough’s Selectmen, ZBA, and Town Counsel since last August, and their inability to rationally explain their tacit endorsement of the Park Central project, I’m thinking the awkward battles and Come-to-Jesus moments are only just beginning. . . and that the Park Central matter is far, far away from being the Fait Accompli that you claim it is.

It is absolutely staggering to anyone with their frontal lobes still intact – that the Southborough ZBA granted a Comprehensive Permit for a mammoth development that dumps hundreds (if not thousands) of daily cars and trucks onto our narrow, twisting, blind-curve, historic country lanes via ingress/egress of the proposed “John Boland Drive onto Flagg Rd.

Please consider this: The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) did not allow the planned Park Central development egress to Route 9 W. for obvious safety reasons (too close to the entrance ramp to I 495 N) . So, exactly, **how** and at **what** point did it become ok and advisable for Park Central to egress 2-ways onto the narrow, choked backway of Flagg Rd ??

Hello??? Ground Control to Major Tom ??? . In the Wide Wide World of Sports, I can not think of ANYONE in Southborough who would possibly endorse this made-to-order safety fiasco.

4) It is absolutely shameful, disrespectful, and a disservice to Southborough residents the manner in which the Selectmen, Town Counsel, and ZBA have derailed the Southborough Planning Board – leaving them adrift and out to Hang & Dry on Park Central, refusing them Independent legal Counsel . . all under the baseless imprimatur that it’s “not a good idea to have Town Boards suing each other”. ( LOL!! )

In many ways, the Planning Board has been the Alamo, the last Southborough governmental entity to ensure that all “t’s” are crossed and “i’s” dotted, including provisions for Park Central stormwater discharge, wetland buffer zones, and other concerns that had not been fully vetted prior to the ZBA decision last August to grant the Comprehensive Permit.to Park Central..

The unshakable FACT is this: the planned Park Central development is sited on a *LAND-LOCKED* parcel. Since the MassDOT has already denied the Developer egress of this project onto Rt.9 W,, the Developer has no choice but to create one (1) single egress point onto Flagg Rd. . . . a local lane that is patently ill-equipped to handle increased car & truck traffic.

So, Publius . . how is that the “best of course of action is to work with the developer for accommodations to the plan” ???

SB Resident
6 years ago

There are a lot of people on your side who’d like to see this whole thing shot down like it should be. But with this kind of reaction to a two sentence post that gives no facts and is just an opinion, you are going to lose support.

Matthew Brownell
6 years ago
Reply to  SB Resident

How so, SB resident?

In retrospect, the more I consider the manner in which Park Central has devolved, and allowed to threaten the lives and safety of Southborough’s residents – the more this entire fiasco reminds me of the Grade B Patrick Swayze movie “Road House” (you know, the type of movie one wakes to at 3:00am, after falling asleep on the sofa)

There, small town residents, town officials, and business owners lived in daily fear, unable to stand up to forces they perceive as beyond their control.

My experience and feelings on this are only compounded and escalated in lockstep with the volume of anonymous posts on this local blog regarding Park Central, and our Southborough elected officials, who for the most part – have abandoned their leadership roles, remaining stunningly and mysteriously silent on Park Central.

djd66
6 years ago

Mathew –

Loved your post! I could not agree more.

Thank you,
The Silent Majority

Abe
6 years ago

Dear BOS and ZBA,
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
Abraham Lincoln

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