Town Administrator's Response to Inaccuracies in an Advertisement included in the Stow Independent
A Letter from the Town Administrator:
In the October 20th edition of the Stow Independent, Fisher & Associates took out a full-page ad with regards to the articles up for discussion at the upcoming Special Town Meeting, in particular, Article 8 – Table of Principal Uses Allowed in an Industrial Zone.
I’d like to correct inaccuracies in that advertisement and in a companion letter to the editor by one of the members of the Fisher & Associates team, Mark Forgues.
The change being proposed at town meeting is a zoning bylaw change, which would allow a for-profit school to be built in an Industrial Zone. At present, nonprofit schools can be built anywhere in town by state law. As part of the zoning change, there would be a requirement for a Development Agreement negotiated with the Select Board and a Special Permit from the Planning Board. Both give the town significant control over any proposed project. Approving this change at the town meeting does not mean the project is approved.
The Masters Academy International (MAI, not affiliated with the Masters Academy in Orlando) is seeking to locate on the now vacant Bose Corporation campus. As a for-profit entity their tax assessment will be based on the value of the existing property, the value of the approximate $28M worth of upgrades they plan to make, AND the value of their collected tuition, which would not only make them the largest taxpayer in town (up from the 2nd largest) but would lower all other real estate taxes in town. That is factual and is one of the reasons the town has worked with Bose to encourage this use. Another reason is that other alternatives on the table are far less desirable for the Town:
1. The Masters Academy could change to a non-profit school and build what they want at the Bose campus, with minimal input from the Town. Again, nonprofit schools can be built anywhere without needing any zoning changes. That would change them to tax exempt and as a result – every other tax bill in town would increase to make up the difference that is no longer being paid by this large property. (Again, this is factual) Additionally, we would lose any ability to negotiate a Development Agreement which would institute certain guarantees and provide additional revenue to the town to deal with the impact the school may cause.
2. The Masters Academy could pull-out of their deal and Bose would be left to find another buyer. To date, the other potential buyers have included a distribution center (Amazon, Walmart, etc.) which is allowed by current zoning. That would result in 18-wheelers travelling up and down Rt. 117/Rt. 62 all day, and up and down Harvest Drive. Just as concerning is the potential for a very large 40B development, which would have a major (and negative) impact on our budget, tax rate, and school district, among other things. Bose has worked cooperatively with the town to date, but their incentive to continue to do so is likely to decrease if we turn down this zoning change.
The Town has sought to be open and transparent about this effort as well as our efforts to secure the future of Stow Acres. We have been making every effort to have information on the articles put out there, via meetings, public hearings, social media, our website, etc. To accuse the Town of hiding information from the voters is simply not true.
Stow Acres has now had multiple public forums and a page on our website dedicated to project information: https://www.stow-ma.gov/planning-board/pages/stow-acres-planning-process. The developer of a portion of the Stow Acres land has participated in the forums and has been very open about the 189 residences he plans to propose on the land he is buying from Stow Acres, whether or not the town votes in favor of purchasing the remainder of the land.
The Town also has a dedicated page on its website about the zoning change and the Masters Academy International at: https://www.stow-ma.gov/planning-board/pages/masters-academy-proposal-former-bose-site. If the zoning change happens, MAI will be able to apply for a special permit and begin having public meetings on the future of that site.
Are there still details and questions to be worked out with regard to both projects – absolutely! But that will all be handled through the public meeting process. Just changing the zoning does not grant approval of ANY project!
I urge residents to attend the Special Town Meeting on October 30th and make your voices heard and to vote based on the facts. Town officials stand ready to answer any and all questions to the best of our abilities and are committed to continuing open and transparent dialog about these projects.
Thank you.
Denise M. Dembkoski
Town Administrator