BUCKLAND — Proposed zoning changes designed to increase available housing and approval of funding to build a new community pool are among the nine articles to come before voters during Saturday’s Special Town Meeting.
The meeting will be held in the Mohawk Trail Regional School parking lot at 10 a.m. Social distancing and mask wearing measures will be in place. A rain date is set for Sunday at 1 p.m.
Article 4 asks voters to approve $1,263,104 for the purpose of “planning, designing and constructing a new pool and pool house at the Buckland Recreation Area.” In September, Buckland received $400,000 through the Parkland Acquisitions and Renovations for Communities (PARC) program to help fund construction of the new community pool and pool house.
Town Administrator Heather Butler explained approval of this article would accept the PARC grant and authorize expenditure of funds with “no new spending” required by the town. The cost was originally estimated at around $1.2 million — about $1.1 million of which the town already has thanks to the September PARC grant, a $150,000 Annual Town Meeting allocation in June and community donations. The pool, which was closed in 2016 for safety reasons, has long been a priority of the town.
“This article is one I think people will be excited about, because it means we will be one more step closer to the construction of our community pool, and it’s not going to cost taxpayers any additional money,” Butler said.
The first three articles all involve proposed zoning changes, which Buckland Planning Board member Andrea Donlon has said would allow for increases in the available housing in town, particularly on the Buckland side of the village of Shelburne Falls.
Following a Sept. 28 public hearing regarding the three proposed zoning changes, the Planning Board issued favorable reports and recommended adopting the zoning amendments. Buckland completed a survey and housing plan five years ago that identified housing needs, including the need for more affordable housing, more rentals, and more housing for seniors and first-time homebuyers.
“Since then, we’ve also experienced a pandemic and acknowledged societal inequities,” Donlon wrote in a letter published in the Greenfield Recorder encouraging residents to attend the Sept. 28 hearing. “People are re-thinking where they live and work, and what we value in our communities. Zoning is one tool that can encourage equity in housing and offer ways to make it more economically viable to live here.”
Specifically, approval of Article 1 would increase options for accessory apartments anywhere in town outside Buckland’s small industrial zone. The second article relates to dimensional requirements in Buckland’s zoning bylaws, and would decrease the minimum lot size in the village zones. Article 3 relates to bylaws regarding village open space residential development.
Donlon explained in her letter that “all of these proposals have the potential to boost the local economy (by adding to the tax base), increase the amount of affordable housing stock, and prioritize housing near public transportation, commercial and cultural spots, and municipal infrastructure like water and sewer.”
Article 5 asks voters to borrow money to replace the Nilman Road culvert at Clark Brook, a project that will cost $1.1 million. Butler said the town has $500,000 from a Massachusetts Department on Transportation (MassDOT) grant to put toward this. Another $625,000 is earmarked in a MassDOT bond bill that has not been released yet, and Butler said the town is working with MassDOT to ensure the costs the town pays “out of pocket” will be replaced when the bond bill is released.
“We anticipate paying the borrowing back with supplemental funding from MassDOT, but the work needs to be completed before winter so the borrowing is requested to pay bills as they come in,” Butler explained.
Other “housekeeping articles,” Butler said, include Article 6 asking to transfer money — the amount is not specified on the warrant — from the fiscal year 2022 Highway Department salary expense budget to the public buildings salary expense budget. Article 7 asks voters to provide $3,000 for materials, $5,000 for tools and $2,500 for fuel to supplement the public buildings general expense budget.
Articles 8 and 9 seek approval to buy two town vehicles. Article 8 involves a tractor for use by the Building and Grounds Department for snow removal in the village area and roadside mowing in the summer. This work is currently done by outside parties and the tractor would allow the work to be done “in house.”
Article 9 involves buying a hybrid police cruiser for the Police Department. According to Butler, a pickup truck formerly used by the police has been transferred to the Highway Department, and the hybrid cruiser would replace this slot in the Police Department’s fleet of vehicles.
To view the full warrant, visit bit.ly/3nxRskX.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.