| We’ve covered the MBTA Communities zoning requirements and the risks they present to Reading for over a year. Now, it’s GO TIME! We are down to two options, and only one is acceptable. Please read this short note and take action ASAP. |
| What’s NextThe final public hearings on MBTA communities are on September 16 and 19.Then, the Community Planning & Development Commission (CPDC) will decide which of two final options is going to town meeting. The CPDC will base its vote on the public hearings and feedback it receives. On or before September 24, the Select Board will vote on which proposal goes to Town Meeting for a final vote. Please attend those hearings and/or send an email THIS WEEK so it arrives before the public hearings. Let the CPDC know you prefer the least disruptive plan! Reading Votes recommends the A-80 option, which saves Reading’s neighborhoods and businesses!  Information on the final two options, plus a sample email to send, are at the end of this message. 4 Things You Need to KnowSee slides 41-48 in the Select Board packet for details on the two final rezoning options. These options will be discussed at the September 10 Select Board meeting and the two public hearings on September 16 & 19. 1) The A-80 Expansion Plan is least disruptive. Concept one, A-80 Expansion, leaves downtown 40R high-density zoning as is and rezones over existing multi-unit apartments and condos. This plan was previously known to some as “existing developments plan.” This plan does not impact single-family neighborhoods and only rezones over properties unlikely to be redeveloped: dense, multi-unit residential condo and apartment complexes that are already very built up. It includes just one business—the gas station on West St. next to the Woburn line and Route 93. |
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| 2) The Main Street and Downtown Plan is not desirable! Concept 2, the Main St. and Downtown plan, rezones over new areas of town along South Main Street and the area near Home Goods, including both businesses and homes. This option also makes significant parking and setback changes to the downtown 40R zoning to allow even more density downtown, with less required parking and much smaller setbacks: zero-foot setbacks on the rear and side! |
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| 3) Meanwhile, the state has approved Winchester’s plan, which is more like Reading’s A-80 option. It includes subzones that rezone over existing multi-unit apartments, which leaves existing neighborhoods and businesses relatively unscathed. This is an important precedent, showing the state permits less drastic rezoning. For more information, see the Winchester News. 4) Rezoning over existing multi-unit condos and apartments, as Winchester has done, produces a compliance on paper, but is not likely to result in the multi-unit apartments and condos being torn down or expanded on to rebuild as new units. Such a plan offers compliance, provides some possibility of units in a zone (downtown) that already is zoned for such new units, and minimizes impacts to Reading neighborhoods and businesses. Based on this, Reading Votes supports the town’s “A-80” expansion plan as the best path forward for MBTA compliance. Urgent! Take ActionAttend a hearing. Please attend one of the public hearings on September 16 (7pm at Town Hall) or September 19 (7pm, location TBD). Send an email. Write to CPDC, the Select Board, the Community Development Director (Andrew MacNichol), the Town Manager, and Assistant Town Manager (Jayne Wellman). Here is a template you can use, but please personalize your message if possible. Subject line: Support for the A-80 proposal To:  cpdc@ci.reading.ma.us ; townmanager@ci.reading.ma.us ; jwellman@ci.reading.ma.us ; amacnichol@ci.reading.ma.us ; selectboard@ci.reading.ma.us ; readingmbtac@ci.reading.ma.us Thank you for all the time that the town has put into developing options for MBTA communities. After looking at the final two MBTA Communities options presented in the packet for the 9/10 Select Board meeting, it is clear that Concept 1, A-80 expansion, is the best option for Reading. I support moving forward with that concept. It is the best option because it provides the possibility of new housing, within the spirit of the law, while preserving as many Reading neighborhoods and businesses as possible. It takes credit for the existing dense housing developments our town has. Also, it does not harm downtown by reducing setbacks and reducing parking requirements. In addition, the state has approved Winchester’s MBTA Communities compliance plan, which, like the A-80 expansion plan, rezones over existing multi-unit complexes. We in Reading can feel confident that our plan also will have favorable state review. Sincerely, [Your name here] Tell your neighbors and friends! Please forward this email and alert as many people as possible. It’s really difficult to keep up with all the wrangling and many residents haven’t—so share this information widely. Sign up for more Reading Votes alerts. Go to https://readingvotes.com/ and scroll down to the signup form. Sincerely, Reading Votes |
🚨MBTA Communities is Down to the Wire!
