The town election next Tuesday features a race for the
Planning Board. This is a significant race as three candidates seek to capture
the seat currently held by Bernie Lynch, who is retiring after 24 years of
dedicated service.
Whoever wins will be bringing a new voice to the Board. They will be doing so just as Milton finds
itself well advanced on a process to update our Master Plan, last updated over
30 years ago. And they will be joining a Board that at times has exhibited
disinterest about the whole affair, together with fearfulness over whether the
process of citizen input might lead in a direction they personally do not
support. The exception to this of course is member Emily Innes, who has driven
the process from the very outset and understands the Planning Board’s proper
role in discovering what direction the residents’ would like to take.
Milton’s version of planning has been the subject of some
discussion over the years. It’s been
characterized as reactive, and in recent years overly dependent on the Special
Permit process. Around the beginning of the year, longtime Town Administrator
John Cronin submitted two articles to the mytownmatters website. One very useful article provided a brief historical
overview of zoning in Milton. It went something like this.
In 1922 the town passed its first “Master
Plan” in reaction to the planned construction by Samuel Spector of 12
storefronts in the section of Milton bordering Mattapan. The bylaw essentially put a fence around the
three existing commercial districts and zoned everything outside it residential.
The Master Plan of 1958 confirmed
the original view, as did the update in the 1970’s.
For 91 years, the original vision
of Milton as an overwhelmingly residential community has been maintained.
This is clearly a persuasive narrative to many, especially
those who oppose any additional commercial development in town. However, the
1922 zoning bylaw resembled in no way what we would call a “Master Plan” today.
The bylaw passed unanimously at a Special Town meeting was not the product of a
careful, widespread visioning process in which the residents were engaged in a
thoughtful discussion about the long term future of Milton.
Samuel Spector purchased
land in Milton on June 9, 1922 and informed the town of his intention to build
a one story building housing 12 storefronts. Between then and July 10th,
The Milton Board of Selectmen quietly put together a zoning bylaw while the
Building Inspector delayed issuing a permit for Spector to begin construction. The passage of our first zoning bylaw was the
result of barely 4 weeks of effort, and successfully blocked an ill-advised
commercial development. But it does not
represent a well-considered decision to essentially freeze in place the 1922
development map of Milton.
It’s hard to say how much public involvement went into the 1958 Master Plan. But the clear
attitude of the Planning Board can be gleaned in a passage from the Summary
Report.
“Consideration
has been given to the possible advantages of encouraging industrial development
of a restricted character in certain sections of the community. It is
recognized that increased costs in the operation of the Town, together with the
improvement of highway and transit connections to the center of Boston, may
bring about pressure for the expansion of areas available for commercial or industrial
development. The argument that such changes would result in a net increase in
municipal revenues is not borne out by studies of the ratio of potential tax
income to the increased costs that would probably be required of the
community.”
Now you may
wonder as I do just what kind of study would have shown a lack of additional
net revenue from commercial enterprise.
The comment suggests a predisposition against commercial expansion in the
town.
Going forward
Milton’s future will be guided by the Master Plan being developed now, with
proper public input so that we capture what the residents' vision looks like, rather
than the desires of town leadership. The fact remains that just over 4% of our
assessed value is represented by non-commercial property. Only 15 communities
in the state have lower shares. In 1982, the year Proposition 2 ½ went into
effect, Milton’s non-residential share of assessed value was 8.6%.
The final stages of the Master Plan process and its
aftermath depend heavily on the Planning Board’s active and enthusiastic support.
Of the candidates running for Planning Board Bryan Furze possesses the greatest
understanding of and commitment to planning as an indispensable tool. He appreciates that a plan must be an
actionable document, and that the Planning Board has a responsibility to
advocate for the final product with other Town Leaders, Town Meeting and if
appropriate, the town as a whole. Bryan works in real estate development, has
served as a volunteer with the Urban Institute, and is currently Chair of the
Granite Avenue Study Committee as well as a Town Meeting Member.
I hope you’ll join me in supporting Bryan for Planning
Board. I believe he will work to “put the plan back in the Planning Board”.
